Buryats who fled Russia after the war in Ukraine and military conscription are redefining what it means to be an ethnic minority, and this project follows them into diaspora to document how their sense of belonging is shifting. Most research on racialisation during war focuses on those who stay. This project fills a gap by examining ethnic minorities—specifically Inner Asian groups like the Buryats—who have left Russia. It asks how war reshapes their identity, whether new interethnic alliances form in exile, and how alternative visions of belonging emerge outside the state’s control. If successful, the research will provide concrete ethnographic evidence of how war alters racialisation and ethnic identity for displaced populations. This matters for policymakers and NGOs working with diaspora communities, refugee integration, and post-conflict reconciliation. It could also reshape how scholars understand ethnic minority politics in authoritarian states at war. The project is fundamentally curiosity-driven, rooted in anthropology and critical race theory. It does not aim to produce a practical tool or intervention. But deeper understanding of how war fractures and re-forges ethnic identity can inform future efforts to support displaced minorities and anticipate social tensions in post-war settings.
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The war in Ukraine has escalated discussions of ethnic identity and belonging among non-ethnic-Russian populations in the Russian Federation. Many are redefining what it means to be an ethnic minority in Russia and their place in the country's social and political fabric. Existing research in social sciences and humanities demonstrates that in a wide range of contexts, racialisation is highly relevant during war. Citizens' experience of racialisation shapes the relationship between ethnic minorities and the state, but shifts in racialisation also occur at times of war and in post-war settings. Therefore, in light of Russia's war against Ukraine, "Minority Russia" (MinRus) investigates shifting forms of belonging and identity amongst racialised ethnic minorities from Russia. More specifically, it looks at Inner Asian ethnic minority members who have fled Russia in light of the war in Ukraine and military conscription in Russia. First, it focuses on the ways in which the war facilitates alternative social imaginaries and alliances, analysing their conceptual and practical manifestations. This is investigated by providing a detailed case study of one minority group - the Buryats - and their relationship to Russia, as well as exploring their alternative visions of belonging. Second, it explores how racialised ethnic minorities negotiate belonging in Russia, focusing on how the war fosters interethnic alliances amongst Russia's ethnic minorities in diaspora. Third, it contributes to the comprehension of how ethnic minority racialisation is affected by war. MinRus aims to achieve this through an ethnographically-grounded investigation and an interdisciplinary theoretical framework drawing on anthropology, critical race theory, and decolonial studies. The project aims to contribute to anthropology, critical race theory, decolonial studies, and post-Soviet and Russian area studies through this endeavour.
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