Russian Biznes in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study focuses on the Russian-speaking immigrants and examines how they view the Russian organized crime activities in The Netherlands and what differences are between their perceptions and those of the Dutch authorities. The material derives from observations of the author, observations of respondents and interviews with officials interpreted in the context of personal experiences of respondents, before and after their migration from the former Soviet Union to The Netherlands. These attitudes and opinions deal with questions of ethnic identity, experiences with various representatives of Dutch society, including government, police and justice officals, journalists and others. The data gathering for the research lasted from March 1999 to March 2001. Many contacts with Russian-speakers, however, were established earlier, before the formal beginning of the fieldwork. The core of the authors fieldwork is based on daily contact with twelve to fourteen informants and their families, weekly meetings with about sixteen to eighteen others, open conversations (interviews) with 38 Russian-speaking legal and fourteen illegal immigrants and interviews with officials from the various relevant institutions and organizations.