Transnational Practices and Integration Processes: The Caucasian Diaspora in the European Union

This article examines the transnational practices and integration processes of North Caucasian diaspora communities, in particular Chechen, Ingush, and Dagestani populations, within the European Union. Drawing on migration and diaspora studies literature, the study explores how these communities maintain connections with their regions of origin while navigating integration challenges in host societies across Austria, Germany, France, Poland, and Belgium. Employing a qualitative meta-analytical approach, the article synthesizes academic literature, ethnographic accounts, and integration monitoring data from the early 2000s to present, with particular focus on developments following the North Caucasus conflicts. The analysis examines four key dimensions: transnational networks and social practices; cultural and religious transmission; identity formation and intergenerational dynamics; and integration experiences within European policy contexts. The findings reveal that North Caucasian communities develop complex strategies that simultaneously maintain homeland ties and adapt to host society requirements. Rather than viewing transnationalism and integration as oppositional processes, the study demonstrates how diaspora networks often function as alternative infrastructures that respond to exclusion and legal precarity while facilitating community resilience. These transnational practices serve both as resources for adaptation and as mechanisms for cultural preservation under conditions of displacement and marginalization. This study contributes to migration studies by examining an under-researched diaspora community that has received limited scholarly attention despite its presence across multiple European contexts. The analysis highlights the importance of understanding migrant agency and multi-sited belonging as adaptive responses to structural constraints rather than barriers to integration.