The article introduces the idea of “mnemonic bordering,” describing how official history can work like a tool of migration governance—helping decide whose asylum claims are taken seriously.
In Estonia, the paper argues that people from countries linked to communism or authoritarianism are often viewed with suspicion, as their struggles are interpreted through an “Eastern” frame. By contrast, the authors note that Ukrainian refugees received a different, more conditional welcome after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, showing how these classifications can be rearranged overnight.
