Homemaking in the Russian-speaking Diaspora: Material Culture, Language and Identity

## Examines the material culture of Russian-speaking migrants * Investigates human-object relations from a multidisciplinary vantage point * Applies theories tested in fields as diverse as anthropology and sociology, consumer and market research, sociolinguistics and semiotics * Draws on data from in-depth interviews and group discussions, photographs, social media and participant observation * Looks at the experiences of Russian-speaking immigrants in a range of countries including Australia, Finland, Greece, Japan, Israel, Turkey, Uruguay and the USA Bringing together scholars specialising in Russian studies, linguistic and cultural anthropology, sociolinguistics and ethnolinguistics, this collection examines the discursive practices in which migrants’ homes are framed, negotiated and constructed to reveal the complexity and ambivalence of home as a concept and as a phenomenon of social life. By examining migrants’ stories about moving home, the book explores the stages of linguistic and cultural adaptation. It demonstrates that immigrants’ homes are semiotic storehouses revealing their owners’ past and present as well as aspirations for the future. It presents the first multifaceted investigation of the interdependence of materiality and emotions and materiality and language use by Russian-speaking immigrants. Contents List of Figures and Tables List of Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: Images of Home away from Home 1. Constructing Home away from Home: The Case of the Interwar Russian Refugees and the Post-Soviet Migrants in Greece 2. Russian Objects and Russian Homes: A Sociological Reflection on Homes and Migration 3. ‘Material Stories’ and Cross-referencing: Experiences of Home and Migration among Women from Russia Living in Japan 4. The Role of Material Objects in the Home Interiors of Russian Speakers in Finland 5. The Role of Possessions in Adaptation to a New Life 6. The Hollywood Kazwup: Historic Russian Restaurants in Los Angeles, 1918–1989 7. Language as a Home Tradition: Linguistic Practices of the Russian Community in San Javier, Uruguay 8. The Russian-Israeli Home: A Blend of Cultures 9. Russian-speaking Immigrant Women in Turkey: Histories of Moving ‘Homes’ and ‘Homelands’ 10. A Journey to a New Home: Language, Identity and Material Culture Index