CGIS South Building, ROOM S354, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Seminar on Russian and Eurasian Jewry
Larissa Remennick | “Critical Citizenship and Civic Participation in Three Generations of Russian Israelis”
Co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Center for Jewish Studies
Larissa Remennick,
Professor of Sociology at Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Civic behavior of immigrants reflects both their pre-migration political socialization and the exposure to new political realities in the host country. Jewish immigrants to Israel receive citizenship soon upon arrival and are endowed with all political and economic rights in their adopted country. Professor Remennick talk highlights the long-term dynamics of civic attitudes and participation in three consecutive generations of ex-Soviet Israelis: from adult migrants (Gen 1.0) to their USSR/FSU-born children socialized mostly in Israel (Gen 1.5) and the Israeli-born Gen 2.0. Drawing on the combined analysis of national surveys and qualitative studies conducted over the last 20+ years, the talk examines shifts in attitudes and practices of citizenship reflected in voting patterns, volunteering, feelings of belonging, and ethnic mobilization for common community causes. Professor Remennick will discuss the shifting civic agendas of Russian-speaking Israelis: from mainly economically driven during the 1990s to mainly symbolic and ethno-national since the early 2000s.
Co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Center for Jewish Studies