Drawing on ethnographic research, this paper explores the reasons why and the processes through which the Greeks from the former Soviet Union altered their self‐identification after migration to their ethnic homeland. Responding to their labelling by the native Greeks and the doubts expressed about their Greekness, most introduce themselves as Pontians, even though the area of Pontos was not a marker of identification for them in the Soviet Union. They do so to express their felt experience of otherness in Greece and to claim their belongingness in the Greek nation. Exploring this case of ethnic return migration, the paper shows how migrants select among available ethnic options and redefine them, to assert their desired identities and strive for inclusion. In so doing it highlights the situational and processual character of ethnic identification, which should not be treated as a direct function of one's descent and culture. At the same time, it shows the constraining role of available ethnic options delimiting this process. Ethnic labels are not empty vessels. They carry particular significations that make them appealing or foreign to different migrant categories and also define the discursive and performative limitations in their ability to claim them and gain national acceptance.

中文翻译：

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种族回返，排斥和种族选择的作用：“苏联希腊人”移民在他们的民族故乡和蓬蒂克身份

本文以人种学研究为基础，探讨了前苏联希腊人迁移到民族故乡后改变其自我认同的原因和过程。响应于当地希腊人对他们的标签以及对他们的希腊性的怀疑，大多数人将自己介绍为庞蒂人，尽管在苏联，庞托斯地区并不是他们认同的标志。他们这样做是为了表达自己在希腊的异己经历，并宣称自己在希腊这个民族中的归属。在探讨这种种族回返移民的案例时，本文显示了移民如何在可用的种族选择中进行选择并重新定义，以确立其所希望的身份并努力争取包容。这样做突出了种族认同的情境和过程特征，不应将其视为一个人的血统和文化的直接功能。同时，它显示了限制这一过程的可用种族选择的约束作用。民族标签不是空容器。他们带有特殊的含义，使他们对不同的移民类别有吸引力或陌生，并且在主张他们和获得国家认可的能力方面定义了话语和表演性限制。