Russian-Speaking Migrants in Germany: Connections with the Exodus Countries and Return Tendencies

The article presents an attempt to consider the re-emigration potential of Russian-speaking groups living in Germany. The main attention is given to the privileged groups (from an ethnic perspective) and, in particular, to "Russian Germans" and "Russian Jews". Qualitative methodology is the basis of the conducted research work and the analysis. The analyzed basis is 43 interviews done in Munich in 2005-6 and in 2011 with representatives of the above mentioned groups. The article aims at revealing the nature of interaction between the Russian-speaking groups and the residents of the country of exodus in Germany and the formats in which these interactions are held. It takes into consideration not only the direct contacts of the respondents, but also the tendencies to get information about different aspects of the political, economic and social life in the countries of exodus and the attitude to a possible re-emigration to the country of exodus. The article shows different activity tendencies of these groups towards the exodus countries. The authors assume that Russian-speaking groups not only keep in touch with the people in the exodus countries but also tend to expand and strengthen these relationships. But in some cases the basis for such tendencies is not the wish of the migrants to return to these countries but their striving for participating in the trans-national migrant community life. This presupposes the formation of some certain "social niches" in the countries of exodus and residence to exist between the abandoned society and the host country. In this case, the re-migrant potential of the Russian-speaking groups is not high. The authors focus on the possibility of influencing migrants living in the countries of new settlement by communities of the exodus countries. Much attention is given to the fact that the Russian-speaking individuals who came to Germany from the CIS countries can choose among the exodus countries no matter which part of the former USSR they left. In this case, the Russian vector is the most determining. It reveals that migrants who did not come from Russia and do not have Russian citizenship may show the tendency of returning to Russia, which they never left. The article shows that the national policies of the abandoned societies may directly influence migrants thus forming new social attitudes and sentiments.

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