Transnationalism, Diaspora, and Identity: Experiences of Ukrainian Immigrants

Markstein 213

Theories of transnationalism focus on how lives of migrants transcend national borders. However, there are few studies that explore the experiences of immigrants that may not necessarily keep connections with their country of origin. Memories of trauma, human rights violations and on-going conflict in their homelands are important factors that affect the transnational engagement of immigrants. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews conducted with 15 people who have migrated to the United States from Ukraine, this paper analyzes how personal biographies, migration histories and geopolitical structures impact the cross border connections with the home countries . The findings from this study highlight that the experiences of anti-Semitism in Ukraine together with the current political conflict in the region have significantly loosened their ties to the homeland.