Regime “Hospitality” in Ukrainian SSR for Representatives of the Ukrainian Diaspora (1960—1980s)

Abstract

The aim is to focus on travelers of Ukrainian origin who visited Ukrainian SSR in 1960—1980 and to continue the study of the system of prohibitions and restrictions imposed on foreigners in the Soviet state. 

The objectives of the study are to analyse the institutional and instrumental specifics of control over foreigners, to find out the real reasons for granting and withdrawing the status of closed areas in Ukrainian SSR; to present the circumstances of applying punitive sanctions to tourists for violating the established rules of stay in the USSR; to compare special guidelines prepared by governmental and non-governmental organisations in the United States and Canada for foreigners, including representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, with warnings about prohibitions and restrictions during their stay in the USSR. 

The methodology combines the tools of historical and legal analysis, social anthropology, and the concept of social space creation. 

The scientific novelty lies in the problem of conceptualisation and practical implementation of strict control over foreigners of Ukrainian origin who visited Ukrainian SSR. 

Conclusions. It is proven that the prohibitions and restrictions established in the 1920s and 1950s remained virtually unchanged in their main features over the next two decades. In the second half of the 1960s, ethnic Ukrainians who were citizens of other states were allowed to visit their homeland, but their attitude toward them differed depending on their political orientation. Even though certain areas are gradually disappearing from the list of prohibited areas, some settlements artificially retain this status not because of the location of defence facilities or proximity to the border, but because of the arbitrariness of military and local party authorities to hide abandoned territories and the use of slave labour from prying eyes.