Strategic Non-Engagement: New Russian Political Migrants and the Spillover Effects of Extraterritorial Authoritarianism.

• In Event: 50662 - Section on Peace, War, and Social Conflict Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4: Structure and Practice of Conflict

Abstract

This project examines the impact of authoritarianism on the political engagement of new Russian immigrants or “relokanti.” The study considers relokanti’s three distinct social statuses and roles: as citizens of Russia, as relatives of families remaining in Russia, and as migrants living in Georgia. Through in-depth interviews and secondary research, the article reveals that despite opportunities for activism and for the transmission of political remittances after exit, relokanti choose not to engage politically, even within their families. Such silence after emigration from Russia, I argue, is both strategic and shaped by what I term the “spillover effects of extraterritorial authoritarianism”. The findings contribute to the broader literature on post-migration transnational political participation, and highlight the need to expand traditional migration theories to account for the growing influence of transnational authoritarian regimes.

Author

• Liudmila Listrovaya, University of Michigan