House, Home, and Homemaking in Post-Soviet Migratory Contexts: Insights from Research in Russia and Japan

Golovina, К., Pechurina, A., Rocheva, A., Varshaver, E. (2023). House, Home, and Homemaking in Post-Soviet Migratory Contexts: Insights from Research in Russia and Japan (Chapter 50). Handbook on Home and Migration, (ed.) P. Boccagni. (621–634). Edward Elgar Publishing. [in English]

 

In Eurasia, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century resulted in multidirectional and complex migration patterns and lingering territorial conflicts. This chapter specifically focuses on the two following directions: the post-1990s flow from the former Soviet Union to industrialized Asian countries, such as Japan, and the more recent migration of labour migrants from Central Asian and Transcaucasian countries to Russia. These two cases investigate a variety of experiences and practices of homemaking that help migrants develop positive attitudes towards unfamiliar and often unfriendly environments. They also show how a home can be created in public spaces such as ethnic cafes, where feelings of belonging are intensified through the taste of native food and the presence of familiar objects. The discussion of the notion of home also pays attention to the types of dwelling occupied by migrants, their moving experiences, and forms of housing tenancy and ownership.