Paper short abstract:

return migration has become one of the social phenomena affecting the lives of migrants themselves, their transnational communities, and rural communities in which they had to reintegrate

Paper long abstract:

The years of the pandemic have become a challenge for thousands of Kyrgyz migrants and communities dependent on their remittances and social investments.

return migration has become one of the social phenomena affecting the lives of migrants themselves, their transnational communities, and rural communities in which they had to reintegrate

This paper explores the role of returned migrants through the prism of activism for the local community as well as their transnational communities. This work examines the attitudes of migrants themselves and their role in the community. How they saw it before the crisis and what role they played during the crisis years. Female return migration is on the spot.

The sources of the data are two pieces of research. One has been done during the pre-pandemic year and examined transnational functions of Kyrgyz communities in Moscow. Second has been done during the pandemic and examined the role of return migrants in their communities in rural Kyrgyzstan. We participated in migrant activities and meetings. Gathering data through interviews and informal focus groups.

As a result, we discuss the role of transnational communities in the crisis and pre-crisis periods. How this role differs in practice, as well as give recommendations for future research.