Invisible Borders

Day 2: Perceptions of a ‘Real’ Muscovites

Marijka Semenenko shared her investigation surrounding the relationship between nationality and the state. Her research focused on the Friendship University in Yugozapadnaya.

She described several ‘cosmopolitan canopies’ at the campus, which include: festivals, inter-clubs, cafes, parks, sports grounds and student housing.

More interestingly, she traced back the campus to the ideology of the friendship of nations and how the shared experience of international students in this enclave is different from the everyday experience in Moscow.

Her work demonstrated that it is important to distinguish between migration policy and migration strategy, and also the fuzzy classification of ethnicities, nationalities and their treatment by the state.

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