Диссертации, представленные на защиту и подготовленные в НИУ ВШЭ

The stateless Rohingya community, with over a million people hosted by Bangladesh, is thelargest refugee community in the world. They have greatly impacted the local communities ofCox’s Bazar, causing conflicts and affecting social, economic, political, and cultural aspects ofBangladesh. The purpose of the study is to examine how Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazarassimilate and integrate with the host society, causing disputes over access to public services andresources, identity differentiation, and social conflict. I conducted a qualitative study in Cox'sBazar's Ukhiya and Teknaf sub-districts from June to October 2021. I interviewed variousgroups, including Rohingyas, the host community, government officials, UN representatives,NGO employees, businessmen, and journalists, and used secondary sources. I find that between1978 and 2016, the Rohingya in Bangladesh informally assimilated and integrated from thebottom up. However, in 2017, a large influx led to a shift in government policy from bottom-upto partial and top-down integration that discourages formal assimilation. In addition to this, after2017, the arrival of Rohingya refugees caused population pressure and competition for resourcesin a rural society heavily reliant on land. This strain on resources leads to identity differentiationand conflicts between locals and refugees. In conclusion, I can understand that the processes ofassimilation and integration, identity differentiation, and social conflict among citizens andrefugees in the Global South countries, like Bangladesh, differ from the Global North countriesdue to the lack of resources and governance capacity.

This dissertation examines the integration process of African migrants in Russia (Moscow). The African migrant community in Russia remains an understudied group among migrant communities in Russia. Though, African migrants constitute a small fragment of migrants’ community in Russia, their population within the Russian landscape is gradually increasing. Most of the academic research on African migrants have predominantly focused on student migrants without considering the gradual increase of labor migrants from Africa. According to the Russian statistics, as many labor migrants from Africa are arriving in Russia, many are also departing. This dissertation investigates the strategies employed by African migrants to cope with the challenges encountered in Russia and how this has facilitated their integration process. Using a qualitative research method, this research explores three context-based topics which include: sociability, housing market and labor market. Therefore, revealing the situations that African migrants are exposed to and how they have been able to adapt. Viewing these topics through the lenses of the African migrants, the research reveals individual and collective approaches of coping strategies employed by African migrants. Using the ‘thick skin’ and surrogate method are individual strategies used by African migrants to cope within the social arena while ethnic entrepreneurship is a coping strategy used in the economic environment. Drawing conclusions from in-depth interviews with labor migrants from African countries, much is learned about their experiences and how it has shaped their perceptions about their host country