CRRC, American Councils and ARISC are pleased to announce the 17th talk of the Spring/Summer 2024 Tbilisi Works-in-Progress series!
The talk will take place in hybrid format in-person at CRRC Georgia and online.
“Friend or Foe? Perceptions of, and among, Russian Migrants in Georgia”
Zachary Fabos, CRRC Georgia
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 18:30 Tbilisi time (10:30 am EST)
Walking anywhere in Tbilisi it is not difficult to find graffiti-tagged walls marked with messages towards the country’s northern neighbor. Slurs directed both towards Russia and its president can be found on nearly every street, while also eliciting the status of the country as an occupier of Georgia’s break-away regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, beginning in February 2022, over a million Russian citizens have entered Georgia with some en route to other countries and others settling there. As evident from graffiti marking settlements across Georgia, Russians migrating to the country are often seen as aggressors and occupants by Georgians. Despite this, according to CRRC Georgia survey data, Russian migrants claimed to trust locals and to feel safe in Georgia. The article and presentation will compare the attitudes and perceptions of polled Russian migrants and Georgians towards one another according to surveys conducted throughout 2023 by CRRC Georgia.
Zachary Fabos is a Researcher at CRRC Georgia and holds a master’s degree in anthropology and community and economic development from Illinois State University. His research interests include heritage, memory, and transformations of place and space and their impact on identity and cultural expression in the Caucasus.
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Works-in-Progress is an ongoing academic discussion series based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that takes place at the CRRC office at Chavchavadze Ave. 5 and online. It is co-organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC). All of the talks are free and open to the public.
In observation of the spirit of the Chatham House Rule, the talks will not be recorded, and we courteously request that the other participants refrain from recording and/or distributing recordings as well. The opinions expressed in WiP talks are those of the speakers alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of CRRC, ARISC or of American Councils.
