“Russian” Wives of Migrants: Family Boundaries and Everyday Practices of Integration in Mixed Marriages

The author observes everyday life and family boundaries in marriages between Russian women and migrants. It is based on qualitative research, including in-depth interviews with women who are married to or in long-term relationships with men from Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. The study examines how such mixed unions are formed and how they function at the intersection of different cultural and kinship norms. The analysis focuses on the role of women as key intermediaries between the husband’s extended family and the Russian social context. The findings show that marriages between migrants and local residents give rise to hybrid family models in which gender roles, power relations, religious practices, and family obligations are continuously negotiated and redefined. It is concluded that these mixed marriages create a specific space of integration that is not reduced to linear or one-sided assimilation.