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UNDERSTANDING RUSSLANDDEUTSCHE IDENTITY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
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Abstract:
The Russlanddeutsche, or Russian-Germans, are the largest group of ethnic German repatriates in Germany, having arrived in large numbers from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. This thesis examines the relationship between Russlanddeutsche history, identity, and modern German nationalism. It employs an interdisciplinary approach, including historical analysis, sociocultural linguistics, and nationalism theory. It surveys the Russlanddeutsche experience from 18th-century Russia, through the Soviet era, and into modern Germany. It investigates the interplay between shifts in language use and ethnic self-conception over generations. Leveraging the ethnosymbolist approach from nationalism studies, this thesis argues that the Russlanddeutsche can be properly understood as an ethnie, a particular ethnic typology often associated with ideas of nationhood. With this characterization in mind, the thesis demonstrates that formerly long-standing German citizenship law placed a special emphasis on the “Germanness” of the Russlanddeutsche as a basis for their admission, setting them apart from other immigrant groups. These themes reverberate in the contemporary nationalist and anti-immigrant discourse employed by right-wing parties and Russian information operations intending to galvanize Russlanddeutsche support, in some cases to significant effect. Such politics, often incorporating a pronounced NATO-skepticism and Russophilia, pose a challenge to German and transatlantic security. ; Outstanding Thesis ; Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy ; Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
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Keyword:
AfD; ethnicity; Germany; identity; integration; language; nationalism; Russia; sociolinguistics
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URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/68682
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