Ethnic Greeks from the Former Soviet Union as “Privileged Return Migrants”

Depuis 1989, la migration de retour des personnes d’origine grecque de l’ancienne Union Soviétique marque la vie sociale de la Grèce contemporaine. Les récentes évaluations statistiques d’État suggèrent qu’environ 160 000 ex-citoyens soviétiques d’origines grecques auraient acquis le statut du ‘rapatrié’ et seraient engagés dans la phase finale du processus de naturalisation. Cet article s’attache à l’analyse de l’impact de ce phénomène particulier de migrants co-ethniques et sur les perceptions de la société d’accueil à l’égard des nouveaux venus. Il dresse enfin un bilan des espérances, des désillusions et des stratégies de survie adoptées par les nouveaux venus au cours de leur adaptation à leur ‘patrie historique’. L’auteur soutient que, par comparaison à d’autres groupes d’immigrants défavorisés (clandestins, demandeurs d’asile et réfugiés d’autres régions du monde), ce groupe particulier de nouveaux venus d’origine grecque constitue une catégorie des ‘migrants privilégiés’ avec un accès spécial aux droits sociaux, politiques et économiques. Cette situation crée souvent des tensions sociales entre la société d’accueil et les nouveau venus.Since 1989 large scale ethnic ‘return migration’ from the former Soviet Union to Greece has been a main feature of social life in Greece. Recent state statistical assessments suggest that some 160.000 former Soviet citizens with ethnic Greek origins have acquired ‘repatriate’ status and are in some phase in the final process of naturalisation as Greek citizen. This paper considers the impact of this particular east-west migration phenomenon from the standpoint of the receiving state, the host population and the newcomers themselves. It focuses on the specific reception and settlement policies that the Greek State has introduced to address this particular group of co-ethnic migrants and the perceptions of the host population vis-à-vis the newcomers on the societal level. Finally, it offers an account of the expectations, disillusionment and the survival strategies adopted by the newcomers in the process of their adaptation to their ‘historical homeland’. I argue that by comparison to other incoming dispossessed groups (e.g. ‘irregular migrants’, asylum seekers and refugees from other parts of the world), this particular group of ethnic Greek newcomers constitutes a category of ‘privileged’ migrants with special access to social, political and economic entitlements. This condition often becomes a divisive issue on the societal level (host-newcomer groups)

Ethnic Greeks from the Former Soviet Union as “Privileged Return Migrants”

Since 1989 large scale ethnic ‘return migration’ from the former Soviet Union to Greece has been a main feature of social life in Greece. Recent state statistical assessments suggest that some 160.000 former Soviet citizens with ethnic Greek origins have acquired ‘repatriate’ status and are in some phase in the final process of naturalisation as Greek citizen. This paper considers the impact of this particular east-west migration phenomenon from the standpoint of the receiving state, the host population and the newcomers themselves. It focuses on the specific reception and settlement policies that the Greek State has introduced to address this particular group of co-ethnic migrants and the perceptions of the host population vis-à-vis the newcomers on the societal level. Finally, it offers an account of the expectations, disillusionment and the survival strategies adopted by the newcomers in the process of their adaptation to their ‘historical homeland’. I argue that by comparison to other incoming dispossessed groups (e.g. ‘irregular migrants’, asylum seekers and refugees from other parts of the world), this particular group of ethnic Greek newcomers constitutes a category of ‘privileged’ migrants with special access to social, political and economic entitlements. This condition often becomes a divisive issue on the societal level (host-newcomer groups)