Impact of Multiple Immigration Experience in Childhood on Ethnic Self-identity: Case Study of Russian-speaking Israeli Canadians

This study analyzed the impact of multiple immigration experiences in childhood on ethnic self-identity of a group of immigrants who were born in Former Soviet Union states, who immigrated to Israel in childhood and immigrated to Canada as teenagers. The research question was: “What is the ethnic self-identity of Russian-speaking Canadian immigrants born in FSU countries who also lived in Israel and what contributes to it? Qualitative interviews with 8 participants were conducted and analyzed. Results showed that the majority of participants have mixed identities (often with strong connection to their FSU country of origin) developed due to the factors such as their immigration experiences, influence of their family, peer-groups and both negative (i.e. bullying) and positive experiences within the neighborhoods in which they resided. Few participants chose a single ethnic identity. Length of time residing in Israel seemed to matter in whether Israeli was part of their identity.