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Political aspects of repatriation: Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan. A comparative analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Olga Zeveleva
Olga Zeveleva*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
*
∗Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper is based on a study which compares repatriation policies of Germany, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The choice of cases is based on a “most similar case design.” The Russian case results in unsuccessful and unsustainable repatriation, the German case exhibits a change from sustainable repatriation to a slow termination of the program, while the case of Kazakhstan is one of sustainable and relatively successful repatriation. The main argument of the paper is that in order for a repatriation program to be sustainable, the program must contain both a practical component and an ideological component. If a repatriation program lacks ideological backing which permeates other aspects of political life in a state, then the repatriation program grinds to a halt. If a repatriation program has ideological backing, but is rendered impractical and does not meet the economic, demographic and labor market needs of a state, then the further development of the program stops. The findings of this study merit further reflection on issues of changing national identities, on transnational migration pathways, and on the “post-Soviet condition” which has set the stage for all of the aforementioned processes and transformations.

Keywords

international migrationrepatriationreturn migrationco-ethnic migrationreturn ethnic migrationpost-Soviet migrationGerman resettlementAussiedlerRussian compatriotsKazakhstan oralmans
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 42 , Issue 5 , September 2014 , pp. 808 - 827
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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