Young Chechen Refugees in Europe: The Role of Gender and Religion

The presentation focuses on two intertwined factors that shape immigrant incorporation in today’s Europe: religion and gender. It draws on an empirical study of young refugee women from Chechnya (Russian Federation) residing in Germany, Austria, Poland and Belgium. It aims to explain the relationship between women’s religious identities and gender practices while considering the significance of their pre-migration childhood experiences of life in a war-torn society and refugees’ living conditions in the receiving societies. The study examines two topics, which have dominated debates about incorporation of Muslim immigrants and their children in European societies: 1) new forms of religiosity among Muslim immigrant youth and 2) transformations of women’s roles in immigrant families and communities. It focuses on Muslim immigrants from Eastern Europe who have received little scholarly attention as opposed to communities originating from Maghreb or Turkey. That is despite having gained a considerable presence in Europe since the early 2000s. Russian citizens, most of them from Chechnya, have been among the most numerous groups of asylum seekers in Poland, Austria and Belgium for almost a decade now. The numbers of Chechens applying for asylum in Germany in 2012 and 2013 have also risen sharply. The data collected in Germany, Austria and Poland reveal remarkable intergenerational differences in adaptation strategies of Chechen women. A significant number of young women in these countries are adopting more conservative gender practices and embracing new religious identities that are perceived as alien by the women of the older generation. The study in Belgium examines the validity of these findings in a different institutional environment. Compared to the other three countries, Belgium offers recognized refugees an easier access to citizenship and provides more inclusive educational environment for young immigrants.