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Jewish Russians, Russian Israelis and “Jewski” Canadians: Youth and the Negotiation of Identity and Belonging

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Post-Soviet Migration and Diasporas

Part of the book series: Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship ((MDC))

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Abstract

This study considers the migration and identity negotiation experiences of Russian-speaking Jewish youth who completed a multistage migration from areas of the former Soviet Union, through Israel, to Canada. By exploring the ways in which young migrants understand and negotiate their migration experiences, this chapter contributes to the predominantly path-dependent and adult-focused literature. While current studies stress factors such as labour market participation as well as cultural and civil society integration in influencing the experiences of migrants, interviews with youth reveal the importance of schools, neighbourhoods, community groups and families. Youth experience migration and acculturation in parallel yet different ways than adults. The findings suggest that youth identity negotiation is multidirectional and embedded in institutions cross-cutting the public and private spheres.

The author would like to thank Professors Robert Kenedy and Patricia Landolt for their valuable guidance as well as Jean-Francois Nault for his tireless support throughout the writing process.

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Correspondence to Anna Slavina .

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Slavina, A. (2017). Jewish Russians, Russian Israelis and “Jewski” Canadians: Youth and the Negotiation of Identity and Belonging. In: Nikolko, M., Carment, D. (eds) Post-Soviet Migration and Diasporas. Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47773-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47773-2_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47772-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47773-2

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