ABSTRACT
A striking absence in the media debate about Russian-speaking forced migrants returning to Russia is the culture shock they experience upon return.1 This chapter charts the boundaries of the ‘us’ and ‘them’ identities forged between migrant and receiver communities. It examines the culture shock experienced upon return to Russia and the importance of memory of the former place of residence in fuelling a common collective identity among these self-professed ‘other Russians’. In this sense it challenges widespread beliefs that common ethnicity precludes any problem of cultural adaptation upon return to Russia for Russian-speaking migrants from the former republics. The chapter also considers the perspective of the receiver community. Drawing on a small-scale survey in Ul’ianovsk region and interviews with non-migrant residents in Orel region, common stereotypes about refugees and forced migrants and their consequences for integration into the new community are also explored.
