Xenophobia Toward Homosexuals and Immigrants in the Russian Federation and Eastern Europe

• In Event: 549 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01. Xenophobia and Racialization

Abstract

This paper expands the definition of xenophobia to analyze anti-homosexual and anti-immigrant attitudes in Russia as compared to other post-communist states with an eye toward determining whether Russia appears an outlier in its xenophobic tendencies. As other work has demonstrated, there is meaningful variation in xenophobic attitudes among Russians, but the nature of the variation, the groups at which it is leveled, and the predictors of emotional-types of prejudice differ. The expanding literature on boundary making, the identity-producing and reinforcing processes of who is or is not part of the nation-state, demonstrates that comparison is another critical element in better understanding xenophobia (Bail 2008). Along these lines, it would be a mistake to view Russia without some comparison to its peers. This article seeks to understand whether Russia is a unique case in terms of its ethnic and sexual prejudices, or if there are identifiable patterns between countries who share an Eastern European cultural and ideological past that can contribute to a better understanding of xenophobia more broadly.

Author

• Nicole M. Butkovich Kraus, Rutgers University