Overview of stigma mitigation strategies, specific stigma types experienced by Russian academic professionals and examples in the wake of the Russian–Ukraine conflict
| Proposed theme (refined) | Illustrative example (from data) | Link to stigma types |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural disassociation | “Because of the war, I stopped watching Russian movies and speaking Russian in public.” (P12) “I have to cut all ties with Russian Universities” (P12) | Event stigma - triggered by war leading to cultural distancing. Tribal stigma - rejection of imposed group identity as being “Russian” |
| Narrative reframing | “My lecture had been planned, but some participants requested a replacement lecturer… It forced me to clarify who I am…” (P16) “Now I present more broadly my international research identity.” (P1) | Event stigma - navigating heightened sensitivity after invasion. Tribal stigma - negotiating audience perceptions of Russianness |
| Identity reconstitution | “We used to primarily teach Russian as the language of Russia. Now we’ve shifted our perspective and teach Russian as a language of post-USSR countries.” (P3) “I want to excel at my job to compensate for the damaged image of Russians.” (P10) | Event stigma - transforming professional focus after the war. Core stigma - addressing long-standing associations of russianness with authoritarianism. |
| Emotional negotiation | “When the war started, it became very difficult to teach because 70% of your brain would be screaming in horror from reading the news.” (P13) “I started crying in the classroom.” (P21) | Event stigma – emotional toll from acute geopolitical crisis. Tribal stigma – empathy and shame tied to group identity |
| Proposed theme (refined) | Illustrative example (from data) | Link to stigma types |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural disassociation | “Because of the war, I stopped watching Russian movies and speaking Russian in public.” (P12) “I have to cut all ties with Russian Universities” (P12) | Event stigma - triggered by war leading to cultural distancing. Tribal stigma - rejection of imposed group identity as being “Russian” |
| Narrative reframing | “My lecture had been planned, but some participants requested a replacement lecturer… It forced me to clarify who I am…” (P16) “Now I present more broadly my international research identity.” (P1) | Event stigma - navigating heightened sensitivity after invasion. Tribal stigma - negotiating audience perceptions of Russianness |
| Identity reconstitution | “We used to primarily teach Russian as the language of Russia. Now we’ve shifted our perspective and teach Russian as a language of post-USSR countries.” (P3) “I want to excel at my job to compensate for the damaged image of Russians.” (P10) | Event stigma - transforming professional focus after the war. Core stigma - addressing long-standing associations of russianness with authoritarianism. |
| Emotional negotiation | “When the war started, it became very difficult to teach because 70% of your brain would be screaming in horror from reading the news.” (P13) “I started crying in the classroom.” (P21) | Event stigma – emotional toll from acute geopolitical crisis. Tribal stigma – empathy and shame tied to group identity |