Authors

Discussion

Eastern Europe is currently characterised by growing migration trends and linguistic variety, particularly in countries such as Estonia and Kazakhstan. In this research, I examine how Russian-speaking immigrant communities in Estonia and Kazakhstan are involved and adapted in media environments. Are they handling media in the same way as locals or separating and building their own media landscapes? These questions are important to study in parallel to political and societal flashpoints such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump’s return to office and its consequences, the rise of autocracies and populism worldwide, and many more. Given the growing issues of migration in the Eastern European region this research will be essential for understanding how Russian-speaking communities are engaged in navigating their political and societal lives through media in Estonia and Kazakhstan. Through content analysis and in-depth interviews in Estonia and Kazakhstan, I show how immigrant communities engage with media in post-Soviet space. In doing so, my research highlights the role of media in either fostering integration or reinforcing division within these communities. It also develops cross-national comparative studies in two different political systems, new democracy (Estonia) and autocratic transition state and society (Kazakhstan).