In The Age of Migration De Haas refers racism and xenophobia interchangeably; previously, I associated xenophobia only with the fear of foreign people or culture (De Haas 2020). According to The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy however, my assessment was incomplete. The book defines xenophobia as “an unreasonable fear, distrust, or hatred of strangers, foreigners, or anything perceived as foreign or different” (Hirsch, Jr., et al. 2002). Therefore, surprisingly, fear simply of someone from the same place with a style of dress or religious practice different from yours may be classified as xenophobia.
While individual experiences may not garner the attention of larger scale acts of public racism and discrimination in the same fashion as foreign workers experienced in Germany 30 years ago, they are just as relevant to embracing differences rather than frowning upon them. The articles from Kaliyev (Central Asian Migrants Describe Injustice, Racism in Russia) and Zatari (Racism in Russia: Stories of Prejudice) share the unfortunate commonality of parents looking away if not encouraging discriminatory behavior. It is hard to believe that as we seek to learn about other cultures there are still those who seem to believe homogeny trumps humanity.
The human connection links us to one another and allows us to feel a variety of emotions for others in situations we have never experienced firsthand. Gripping personal stories whether they surprise us or tug at our hearts or make our faces red with anger, they are all one thing: memorable. In Bryansk, Russia economics student Roy Ibonga shared his experiences of services denied because he does not fit the city’s homogenous mold. Russian-Sudanese linguist Alena El-Hussian recognizes the high levels of racism Central Asian migrants face in Russia. She believes citizens of the former Soviet republics are regular targets of racism (Zatari 2020). I wonder if after the fall of the Soviet Union and thus loss of Russian control correlates to this discrimination; if some Russian people still feel superior to those from former Soviet republics. Additionally, Maxim Nikolsky recalls the racism he felt as a youth near the capital city. He remembers, at school, the poor influence of racism parents passed to their kids and that they showed no sympathy to his mother when she brought the discrimination her son faced to their attention (Zatari 2020).
In Ol’ga E. Brednikova’s article (Non)-Return: Can Migrants Become Former Migrants? another form of possible discrimination through the permanent label of guest worker versus immigrant, arises. It is followed with criteria including their purpose for restructuring their path to economic opportunity and their social capital (Brednikova 2017). A guest worker is more likely to become an immigrant, usually of more permanent status with an established social network which helps them to get and maintain employment and expand their professional contacts. Immigration is more often the goal, albeit more difficult, as this would gradually improve their lifestyle and allowed their families to migrate as well. For guest workers, no sense of community is established as their time is limited. They are not making a long-term investment for themselves or their families in their destination country, rather are only there for work (Brednikova 2017). These conflicting identities leave me to question how these migrants see themselves.
Additionally, Brednikova paints a picture for her readers of an area of Dushanbe, Tajikistan consisting of incomplete housing projects. Like the train passengers in the documentary Migrant Express, these families hope for steady work abroad to afford them to ability to finish their homes and to continue to reshape their lives in positive ways. It is unfortunate to see so many people struggle for basic necessities and leaves us with hope that they will succeed.
Moreover, on the surface it may not seem that people of former Soviet republics and Mexicans have any significant cultural similarities; however, migrating for economic opportunity is a striking similarity. As told in Central Asian migrants describe injustice, racism in Russia, readers receive an inside look at opportunity sought and opportunity lost (Kaliyev 1998). Just as people from former Soviet republics migrated to Russia, Mexicans enter the United States, seeking better prospects than they had at home. Often in both cases, they fill less-desirable positions of manual labor such as construction. For many of the former, the lack of respect shown became too much and they soon become emigrants of Russia.
Continuing with subject of Mexican labor, as a native Texan, the mention of Mexican farmers supporting their land at home by earning capital abroad stood out to me (De Haas 55). In these cases, migration to the United States becomes a tool to sustain their farms. This migration correlates to the New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) theory since it is a based-on family decisions rather than individual decisions. For Mexican farmers and their families, the decision to work abroad is made together (De Haas 54). Meanwhile, their families maintained the farmland at home while relying on capital from work in the United States to keep them afloat. Further, with Texas sharing a border, the state has a large Spanish speaking population, Hispanic neighborhoods and Mexican cuisine, all of which culturally connect it to their southern neighbor. These social and cultural similarities aid in making the transition to migration easier.
In conclusion, De Haas describes migration systems theory as how migration is linked to sharing goods, ideas and currency (De Haas 68). In sharing these vital resources, globalization may trump racism and xenophobia. Everyone has a place in the world and the sooner we embrace that of others, the more we may relate socially and culturally and in turn, on a basic human level, which is needed to alleviate discrimination through acts of racism and xenophobia.
Bibliography
Brednikova, Ol’ga E. “(Non-)Return: Can Migrants Become Former Migrants?” Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia, vol. 56, no. 3-4, 2017, pp. 298–320., doi:10.1080/10611959.2017.1450549.
Haas, Hein de, et al. The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. The Guilford Press, 2020.
Hirsch, Jr., E. D., et al. New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin. Houghton Mifflin., 2002.
Kaliyev, Arman. “Central Asian Migrants Describe Injustice, Racism in Russia.” Caravanserai, Caravanserai, 3 July 2018, central.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_ca/features/2018/07/03/feature-01.
Shakirov, Mumin. Migrant Express. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBSardpSH0E.
Zatari, Amalia. “Racism in Russia: Stories of Prejudice.” BBC News, 17 June 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53055857.
Your post takes quite a variety of directions. I’d like to see some follow through on this turn: ” another form of possible discrimination through the permanent label of guest worker versus immigrant, arises” You then get into Brednikova’s article, raising other themes, but you don’t follow through on the thought that this label, guest worker, may produce a different form of discrimination than the term immigrant.
You start with questions of racism and xenophobia, and you do a good job of defining that, and then you illustrate in a variety of ways. You describe some of the ways that racially “other” migrants in Russia experience racism. This would be a good place to work with embedding links, so that the reader can just click and go to those stories. I wonder whether sticking with that subject, and drawing parallels of what happens in Texas, might make this a more cohesive post than does turning toward a discussion of NELM.