Humanitarian, Linguistic and Narrative Bordering in Georgia: Migrations in the Context of Russia’s War on Ukraine

This article examines migration to Georgia triggered by Russia’s war against Ukraine, focusing on the differing experiences of Ukrainian and Russian migrants, as well as Belarusian migrants, including those who left their country earlier due to the political crisis of 2020. We explore how humanitarian, linguistic, and narrative bordering shape the lives of these migrants, with Georgia emerging as a significant site of encounter. Using qualitative data collected in 2022 and 2023 – including interviews, focus groups, observations, and visual ethnography – we analyze the influence of historical, cultural, and social factors on these bordering practices. Firstly, we show how humanitarian bordering is shifting based on the perceived innocence of the beneficiaries. Secondly, we examine how linguistic bordering operates in the context of Russia’s war-induced migration to Georgia, where the Russian language serves both as a connector among migrants and with the host society, while simultaneously being associated with the aggressor country. Thirdly, we explore how narrative bordering operates through the growing prominence of the “occupation narrative” in Georgian society – the narrative adopted by some migrants while rejected by many of those deemed “occupied” in Abkhazia.