SUMMARY:

This is the publication of an archival document – the 1913 draft of the Regulations on the Alien Peoples (inorodtsy) of the Amur Region. Aimed at regulating the status of the native peoples of the Amur region as Russian subjects and thus differentiating them from the Chinese as undesirable foreigners, this document used the legal category of “alien peoples.” The document demonstrates the relevance of this legal category to administrators and politicians of the Russian Empire until the end of its existence, and the significant potential of proactive social policies embedded in the legislation concerning the “alien peoples.”