Diasporas at War. The Mobilisation of Ukrainian Diasporas in Two Different Host Contexts

Agnieszka Fihel , Institut national d'etudes démographiques / ICMigrations
Anne-Sophie Bentz, Université Paris Cité / CESSMA
Kseniya Homel, University of Warsaw
Marta Jaroszewicz, University of Warsaw
Magdalena Lesinska, University of Warsaw

In 2022, the Russian aggression against Ukraine, with indiscriminate attacks on civilian objects, mass killings and torture of civilians, led to a mass exodus of war refugees. Within a short period of time, the Ukrainian diaspora (of different generations and different social and political backgrounds) transformed into an extensive and effective network of organisations and less formal groups involved in providing humanitarian and political support to emigrants and compatriots left behind in their homeland. This study examines the extent and types of collective action undertaken by the Ukrainian diaspora, and the importance of the different host country contexts in which this mobilisation takes place. This original and up-to-date research is based on desk research, social media analysis and in-depth interviews with 12 representatives of Ukrainian diaspora organisations in France and Poland. The findings reveal a widespread mobilisation involving different diaspora groups and most migrants in both countries. As the challenges related to the war and refugee influx are not the same in France and Poland, relevant differences can be observed in the scope of actions and interactions with the public and political actors in the host countries. Diasporic associations in France mainly focus on raising public awareness in the host society. Organisations in Poland, on the other hand, focus more on supporting Ukrainians who arrived in Poland or stayed in Ukraine, and on building an institutionalized representation of Ukrainian migrants in the host country. In both countries, social media have been crucial for mobilisation, self-organisation and communication both within the diaspora and in transnational cooperation.

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 Presented in Session P3. Migration, Economics, Policies, History