Leading researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor Kuznetsov answered these and other questions for Lenta.ru. <\/strong><\/p>
– Why are migrants not liked in Russia? <\/strong><\/p>
– Because our society has developed migratophobia. It should not be confused with ethnophobia and xenophobia, it is precisely migratophobia. It is based on the fact that the behavior of migrants differs from accepted societal norms. Migrants do not integrate into the environment. Their presence nearby is perceived as a cultural occupation.<\/p>
– Occupation – is that a lezginka dance on Manezhnaya Square? <\/strong><\/p>
– We understand that all people dance, for example, in restaurants – both Russians and Caucasians, anyone...<\/p>
– So why can't you dance on the street? <\/strong><\/p>
– Street dancing is a purely symbolic act demonstrating "you are not our authority, we have the right." If it is not customary in Russia to dance on Manezhnaya Square, then one should not dance. Especially if it is perceived by others not as an expression of feelings, but as a kind of symbol – "we are here, we exist." This is very well read by witnesses.<\/p>
– So migrants in Russia do not assimilate? <\/strong><\/p>
– Assimilation is not required of them. Locals only want them to observe cultural standards. Society asks that they behave like everyone else. The Japanese have a saying for this: "The nail that sticks out must be hammered down."<\/p>
– But migrants do not observe cultural standards. <\/strong><\/p>
– And not all will. The fact is that the majority of migrants do not intend to stay in Russia. Here they only solve their financial issues. Their life and family are in their homeland, and Russia for them is only a place of work. They perfectly understand that they will leave anyway, so they do not want to spend their psychological energy and time on integration. Moreover, if they integrate now, then with the norms and behavioral standards learned here, they will become white crows in their homeland.<\/p>
– Does this apply to all newcomers? <\/strong><\/p>
– We are talking about temporary migrants coming to Russia for work. For people who have decided that they will live here, build a house and raise children, integration occurs.<\/p>
However, it is not always successful. There is a phenomenon of "advanced modernization." A young person sees on the internet how in other countries young men interact with girls, what technologies and comfort there are. He does not want to wait for his country to become modern and comes here. They are oriented towards integration, but their ability to fit into society varies. When they enter an environment, they do "as everyone does." Hence, now among migrants there is a problem of drunkenness, even though they are Muslims.<\/p>
– And who is a typical temporary migrant? <\/strong><\/p>
– Whatever the FMS says, there is no unified statistics on migrants. There are figures on border crossings, on employment in the legal sector... Sociologist Vladimir Mukomel and I recently conducted the largest study in Russia – we surveyed eight thousand migrants across Russia, and based on the data obtained, perhaps we can say something.<\/p>
A typical migrant is a man under 35, with a secondary general education, from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. He came from a small town where the environment is not urbanized and living standards are archaic. In such societies, external control is strong. In those conditions, people behave correctly and adequately only as long as the community controls them. Otherwise, their "brakes fail." As long as they live compactly, everything is more or less, but variations are possible.<\/p>
– Recently in Moscow, near the Historical Mosque, there was a scuffle involving migrants and riot police. <\/strong><\/p>
– Don't confuse. Not only migrants go to this mosque, and an Ingush person was detained there. In Russia, just under 20 percent of the population are Muslims. In Moscow, it's even "every creature has a pair," so there are enough Muslims here. These were not migrants, but citizens of Russia. There were many worshippers, they could be alarmed that a Muslim was arrested, and someone took advantage of that.<\/p>
Migrants themselves gather near the Cathedral Mosque, for example on Eid al-Adha, and this can already be considered a symbolic-political action, a demonstration of presence.<\/p>
– How likely is it that such symbolic demonstrations will escalate into mass migrant unrest in Moscow? <\/strong><\/p>
– Over what?<\/strong><\/p>
– Over the fact that they live poorly and are oppressed. <\/strong><\/p>
– They are unlikely, because all this does not correspond to reality. They live here, and they live normally.<\/p>
– Is there a difference in the perception of laws between newcomers and Russians? There is a feeling that for them, legal norms are less important than traditions... <\/strong><\/p>
– It depends on who we are talking about. Tajiks and Kyrgyz, on the contrary, are very law-abiding – this is part of their traditional standards. There are scumbags, but they exist in any people.<\/p>
But young newcomers from the Caucasus like to solve issues themselves. In any traditional society, it is unmanly to go to the police if your friend was offended, your wife insulted, the mission of revenge is taken upon themselves. In our country, even before 1917, the right to justice was delegated to the authorities, but in the Caucasus this did not happen, particularly due to deportation. Those peoples did not go through the elementary stage of modernization that others in the Soviet Union did. In deportation, adherence to traditions strengthens. Traditions are what help to survive, and modernization happens when there is no longer a need to survive.<\/p>
These people, roughly speaking, went directly from Easter Island to New York. First there was cultural shock for them, and then cultural shock occurs for the locals. That is exactly what we are observing now.<\/p>
– Many European countries that wanted newcomers to integrate into their culture have declared the failure of the multicultural project. <\/strong><\/p>
– He failed with us too. In Soviet times, we had friendship of peoples. Everyone respected each other as long as communication went through intermediaries. But when residents of Tajik villages encountered Russian people and Russian way of life, they realized that life here is completely different.
The same happened in Europe. The concept of multiculturalism assumed that all newcomers would want to become Europeans. But for an archaic society, tolerance and encouragement of homosexual behavior and any behavioral freedom in general are perceived as decadence, unacceptable to them. And so it is everywhere.
– Do diasporas help their compatriots settle far from home?
– The support and significance of the diaspora in a migrant's life is a myth. In Russia, only the Tajik and Kyrgyz diasporas take care of their own. Migrants are a burden to diasporas, an extra load – they dance and sing here. Moreover, many diasporas have an opaque economic structure: an account is opened, but where donations come from and where they go is not very clear.
Only 15 percent of surveyed migrants had heard that such organizations exist, and only six percent had contact with them. There is also a migrants' union, but I very much doubt it works like a real union.
– How tolerant are the newcomers themselves towards local residents?
– According to our survey, they think more favorably and optimistically about locals in all respects than the host population itself. But their demands are also lower.
– Does the negative attitude of Muscovites towards migrants affect their behavior?
– Only politicized, stereotypical attitudes affect – 'they've all flocked here!' But that rarely happens. In everyday life, there is none of that rally-like mood present at 'Russian Marches.'
– In everyday life, migrants are preferred to be ignored.
– No, we are starting to get used to them. We have no xenophobia or ethnophobia.
Among Russians' complaints about newcomers, the first place (70 percent) is non-compliance with rules of conduct. Complaints about different faith, appearance, nationality – all that totals about seven percent.
– So is friendship of peoples possible in our country?
– That's a stretched slogan. It's not about friendship, but about mutual respect between individuals. Once we understand that migrants are the same people as us, we begin to respect them.