DIVIDED
A project about non indigenous ethnic minorities in post-Soviet states. To date I have mostly focused on Russian speaking minorities in former Soviet states but I now see there's many other cases which should be included. I have so far travelled to Latvia to shoot a story about Russian speaking minority, and have been photographing Russian speakers who emigrated from former Soviet republics to Russia, which included both ethnic Russians and other ethnic groups associating themselves with Russian language culture.
Stage 1: A state of equilibrium is defined.
The country (USSR) exists as one unity, internal borders are a formality, people are free to travel between the 15 member states, nationalism exists in suppressed form, ideas of internationalism and equality thrive, one language of inter-ethnic/-national communication exists across the common area (Russian language), no official discrimination by language or ethnicity, no official separation between ethnic groups, arguably efficient ethnic minority policies are in place.
Stage 2: Disruption to the equilibrium by some action or crisis.
Breakup of the Soviet Union: Disintegration processes accelerate in late 1970s; Perestroika, rise of national movements and formerly suppressed nationalism in the 1980s; breakup of Soviet Union in the 1990s; tensions between new states increase throughout 1990s and 2000s.
Stage 3: Recognition that there has been a disruption, setting goals to resolve problem.
As a consequence of breakup of USSR new issues arise and old hidden issues come to surface: nationalism, armed conflicts, broken cultural and economic links, national borders and visa regulations prevent free travel (esp. for families living on both sides); search of national identities and ways of existing independently from other republics, national languages become official languages in new states, Russian language ceases to be official language - non indigenous ethnic groups become excluded from public life; territorial / cultural separation between ethnic groups becomes obvious, complicated naturalisation procedures for non indigenous populations; inability to integrate causes mass migration (emigration), countries attracting largest numbers of emigrants (e.g. Russia) are not ready and have no instruments to facilitate resettlement; large numbers of potential migrants (emigrants) remain who are not integrated and will migrate once they have possibility.
Stage 4: Attempts to repair the disruption, obstacles need to be overcome to restore order.
Attempts to repair: (on state level) interstate agreements - visa-free travel between certain states, dual citizenship agreements between certain states, state programmes/laws aimed at facilitating migration, state programmes/laws aimed at facilitating naturalisation, "zero-option" naturalisation laws, integration programmes - e.g. free language training courses, ethnic minority cultural programmes, (on public level) formation of ethnic communities by non indigenous people, formation of non-gov. organisations by migrants, ethnic minority cultural institutions, (on private level) migration to countries of their language/ethnicity, integration in new society, naturalisation, learning official language, preservation of traditions and culture
Obstacles: visa regulations, bureaucracy, preconceptions and lack of tolerance displayed by both sides - "imperial ambitions" vs. despise for "former occupants", tense relations between states, political ambitions exploiting national issues on both sides, historical separation by language and ethnicity, existence of ethnic / language enclaves with people not intermingling with members of ethnic majority, lack of efficient integration programmes for non indigenous population, lack of efficient integration programmes for migrants to countries of their language / ethnicity ("repatriates"), lack of dual citizenship options (e.g. once existed for Russian/Turkmeni but then abolished), lack of adequate legal base facilitating integration of migrants ("repatriates") - e.g. in Russia: institute of "propiska" still existing in a slightly different shape even though formally abolished, lack of efficient mortgage programmes, massive low level corruption, poor organisation of state structures in charge of handling the issue.
Stage 5: Reinstatement to the equilibrium. Situation is resolved, or a conclusion is announced.
Success stories: cases of successful repatriation to the country of of their language / ethnicity, cases of successful naturalisation / integration with non indigenous people feeling more comfortable in the countries where they live and not willing to migrate to the country of their language / ethnicity, efficient programmes for facilitating migration, efficient naturalisation programmes.
