In the Bullseye of Vigilantes: Mediated Vulnerabilities of Kyrgyz Labour Migrants in Russia

Journal article | Zeitschriftenartikel

Hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz labour migrants seek opportunities in Russia where they fall target to retaliation of vigilante citizens who find offence in the presence of alien labourers in their homeland. Vigilantism also takes place within this migrant ‘community’ where male Kyrgyz labour migrants engage in retaliation on female migrants over perceived offences such as dating non-Kyrgyz men. On several occasions between 2011 and 2016 videos featuring honour beating of female labour migrants by fellow countrymen shook the internet. The selected case illustrates vulnerabilities experienced by migrants due to xenophobia and hostility of the host state, as well as additional layers of vulnerabilities linked to gendered biases that ‘travel’ across borders along with compatriots in migration. The study argues that offline structures, norms, biases, violence, and stigma not only reincarnate online, where they culminate in vigilante acts, but consequently, they re-enter the offline discourse and go through further normalization and justification.

Object Details

• ISSN: 2183-2439
• Extent: Seite(n): 230-241
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Veröffentlichungsversion; begutachtet (peer reviewed)

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Media and Communication, 7(2)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie ; Soziale Probleme und Sozialdienste ; Publizistische Medien, Journalismus,Verlagswesen ; Migration ; soziale Probleme ; interaktive, elektronische Medien ; Selbstjustiz ; Digitale Medien ; Vulnerabilität ; Arbeitsmigration ; Migrant ; Kirgisistan ; Russland ; Frau ; geschlechtsspezifische Faktoren ; Ausländerfeindlichkeit

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Gabdulhakov, Rashid
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Portugal
• (when): 2019

Further information

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v7i2.1927
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:27 PM CEST