This PhD thesis examines current political debates on immigration in Russia and shows how the social construction of immigration as a political problem is related to questions of economy, identity and morality in a globalized world. In doing so, it contextualizes the specific debate on immigration within broader societal developments and interprets conflicts over immigration as disputes about post-socialist development. The empirical analysis focuses on the Russian expert discourse and investigates how expert knowledge is translated into state policy under conditions of authoritarian rule, which have become even more pronounced in recent years.

Start of the doctorate: April 2017