Education migration and ethno-social conflicts in the academe of Russia, Ukraine and the USA

Abstract

The authors present preliminary outcomes of a field research dealing with comparative analysis of education migration and ethno-social conflict in academic environment. The research was conducted in Russia (Kazan, Saint Petersburg and Syktyvkar), Ukraine (Kiev), and the United States of America (Los An- geles). The paper starts with a discussion of the context of education migration in three countries and conceptual consid- erations. Theoretical and methodological basis of this study combines mechanistic perspectives, neo-institutional approach, and sociology of everyday life. Then dis- cussion turns to the flows of internal and external student migration influenced by different academic environment and ethno-social conflict potential. The paper argues that casual mechanisms of socio-ethnic conflicts unfold on insti- tutional, organizational, and individual levels (level of everyday interaction). The authors provide characteristics of three generalized models of ‘no occurrence’ of ethno-social conflicts in academe. The study exposes a balance between the formation of small groups and friendly networks between students and formation of the «ghettoized’ groups inside the student community. The paper explores the interrelation between the equality demand and actual academic practices in higher education institutes in Russia, Ukraine, and the USA.