A Generation of New Russian Migrants in the World: Insights into Attitudes and Behaviour

On Thursday, November 23, Félix Krawatzek will give a guest lecture on "A Generation of New Russian Migrants in the World: Insights into Attitudes and Behavior" at Aarhus University. The lecture is organized by the Global Studies research programme and is open to all interested parties.

About the Event

The movement of people has been one of the most consequential results of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their destroyed places of residence, but alongside, hundreds of thousands of Russians have also fled home. This talk takes a look at rare survey data on the social and political views of Russian speaking migrants in five countries.
Face-to-face surveys have been conducted in the summer of 2023, providing unique insights into the extent to which the Russians who have left their home country differ from those that have stayed put. The surveys enquire into social and political attitudes and behaviour of those who have left and try to assess their transnational connections. The paper will put the emphasis on exploring the solidarity among new Russian communities as well as the solidarity with Russians left behind. Using fusion theory allows us to identify which members of the Russian community have developed a visceral, family-like sense of unity or “identity fusion” with their group.
The surveys allow an investigation into the political and social implications of different degrees of unity that people express with other groups and thereby highlights the importance of horizontal solidarity for migrant self-organisation under extreme circumstances.