With Inta Mieriņa, Olga Bronnikova and Tsypylma Darieva

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has markedly changed perceptions of ‘Russianness’ and prompted securitisation measures targeting Russians in their receiving societies. This has resulted in increasing stigmatisation and a redefinition of ‘Russians’ own sense of cultural and linguistic belonging.

For many Russians living outside of Russia, their ‘Russianness’ has become both a site of tension and a catalyst for introspection: Some distance themselves from Russia, while others experience identity conflict and reimagine their place within civic, cultural and political frames. Across these trajectories, language and culture function as psychological anchors amid polarisation. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted in Finland and Latvia, Dr. Inta Mieriņa discusses the changes in Russian identities abroad since February 2022 and the reasons behind them, proposing a theory-informed lens with implications for diaspora and identity studies.

(All are members of the ERDAM Research Network)

• Speaker: Inta Mieriņa is head of the Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research and a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Latvia.

• Discussant: Olga Bronnikova is an associate professor at the University of Grenoble Alpes, France, and a member of ILCEA4.

• Moderator: Tsypylma Darieva (Senior researcher at ZOiS)

Registration