Short Biography
Ekaterina Purgina holds a PhD in Philology, her research interests lie in the field of travel studies, border studies, contemporary literature, modern nomadism, and translation.
Research abstract
The proposed research project focuses on the narratives of crossing borders, which have become crucial for identity formation of the Russian emigrants who left the country after February 24, 2022. These narratives are constructed on social media platforms (e.g. Telegram, Instagram), are defined by the nature of online communication and, therefore, are inseparable from the reception they get from both other emigrants seeking solidarity and host audiences articulating their attitudes to the newcomers. The narratives will be selected by applying the continuous sampling techniques to the content of Telegram channels publishing the narratives of the 2022 Russian emigrants (e.g. Ochevidtsy, NODA, individual channels created by emigrants).
The research questions that this study seeks to address are as follows: How are spatial and temporal borders experienced and conceptualized in the narratives of the new Russian emigrants? What narratives are used by the emigrants to construct and present their new identity? How do they explain their choices to other emigrants and to their new hosts?
The analysis will focus on three dimensions of borders and border-crossing: spatial, temporal and social. The spatial aspect deals primarily with the crossing of physical borders. The temporal aspect refers to the before/after borderline dividing the emigrants’ lives, their perceptions of this ‘borderline’ event as well as border temporalities. Finally, the social aspect concerns the divisions that occurred in the narrators’ familial and social environment after 24 February 2022. This aspect also encompasses the relationships that the emigrants seek to establish with their host communities and other emigrants.