So close, yet so distant. Inclusion and exclusion of migrants from the post-Soviet Union in the Czech Republic
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| Year of publication | 2008 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Since the nineties the Czech Republic has been a part of a newly emerging Central European migration space attracting migrants from certain geographical regions, mainly from countries of the former Soviet Union, predominantly Ukraine and Russia. In the process of social inclusion in different societal spheres (e.g. labour market) those migrants face a stigma of „migrants from the East“ as well as „Russian-speaking people“ who are, due to certain historical events, still often perceived as oppressors and invaders. On the other hand, the migrants often consider the Czech Republic as a culturally close country. Using a case study of migrants' biographies, I focus on the inclusion and exclusion of the migrants from post-Soviet countries in the Czech Republic and on the negotiations of socio-cultural closeness and distance in this process. I bring a transnational perspective into the analysis and explore how the migrants' feelings of belonging are challenged, contested and transformed in the process of migration and how the influence of particular socio-cultural context both in the Czech Republic and their country of origin on this transformation is reflected in their life-story narratives. |
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