Adaptation practices of forced migrants
A comparative study of Russian emigrants in Georgia and Germany in 2022–2023
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19235652 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kira Legut (0009-0000-2377-0938, National Research University Higher School of Economics, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 118-148 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-09 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Zhurnal Sotsiologii i Sotsialnoy Antropologii (The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1029-8053 • E-ISSN: 2306-6946 |
| Publisher | International Foundation for the Support of Social Research and Education Intersozic (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.31119/jssa.2026.29.1.5 |
| OpenAlex | W7152422222 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 22 |
The most recent Russian emigration wave of 2022–2023 has some peculiar features. Unlike their predecessors, the migrants of that wave have been leaving the country in conditions of high economic instability, strong tensions in the international political arena, closed airspace for Russia’s airlines, and suspended facilitation of obtaining the Schengen visa. The research goal of the current paper is to describe the adaptation practices of Russian migrants in 2022–2023 in the context of international tension. The empirical basis of the research consists of sixteen interviews with migrants in Germany and Georgia who left Russia in 2022 and 2023. The analysis shows that most common and successful adaptation practices include membership in a community and participation in activities that the migrants find interesting and valuable. Peculiarities of adaptation process in each country have been defined. The forced nature of emigration leads to the choice of a country with easier entry conditions, however, further adaptation in such cases is less successful. When moving to a country requiring entry preparation, informants adapt better as they have a clearer vision of their future in the new location. Thus, unlike migrants in Germany, informants from Georgia do not plan to remain in the country, which results in their isolation within the Russian-speaking community. They have a vague image of their future, which decreases the overall level of their adaptive capacity
Adaptation (eye) · Context (archaeology) · Emigration · Empirical research · Forced migration · Isolation (microbiology) · Politics · Repatriation · COVID-19, Geopolitics, Technology, Migration · Global Socioeconomic and Political Dynamics · Regional Socio-Economic Development Trends
Thematic Analysis
Russians Abroad
Georgia as Transient Space and Talent Harbor for Russian and Belarusian IT Specialists
"Living in limbo"
The Evolution of Russian Emigration in the Post-Soviet Period
The role of different forms of bridging capital for immigrant adaptation and upward mobility. The case of Ukrainian and Vietnamese immigrants settled in Poland
Acculturation
Understanding Integration
Russian imperial gaze
A General Typology of Migration
How do social practices shape policy? Analysing the field of 'migration as adaptation' with Bourdieu's 'Theory of Practice
Introduction
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |