Post-Migration Living Difficulties of Returned Women in Kyrgyzstan [védés előtt]

Abstract

Migration has long been a defining feature of life in Kyrgyzstan, especially since its independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Over the past three decades, economic hardship, political instability, and limited employment opportunities have driven hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz citizens to seek work abroad, particularly in Russia. While the topic of outward migration has received considerable academic attention, the phenomenon of return migration, especially among women, remains vastly underexplored (Thieme, 2014; Tukubasheva & Purdilova, 2023; Abashin, 2017). This dissertation addresses a critical gap in the literature by focusing on Kyrgyz female labor migrants who have returned from Russia, with specific attention to the socio-economic, cultural, and psychological difficulties they face during reintegration. It draws on extensive field research conducted with women from the Chui and Batken regions and employs a conceptual framework grounded in Post-Migration Living Difficulties (PMLD) and vulnerability theory, analyzed through a feminist perspective (Silove et al., 1997; Spini et al., 2013; Nawyn, 2010). This multi-theoretical approach enables a nuanced understanding of gendered return migration in Kyrgyzstan.