CfP: Ukrainian collectivities in Poland: relations and discourses
Poland is home to diverse Ukrainian collectivities. Its distinctive feature, also compared to other Central and Eastern European countries, is that the numerous migrants from Ukraine arriving, especially after 2014, encounter representatives of the autochthonous Ukrainian national minority of non-migrant origin. In turn, after February 24, 2024, Poland welcomed people migrating due to the war in Ukraine – a third Ukrainian collective actor, on whose behalf there was an unprecedented mobilization of Ukrainian collectivities and whose presence has significantly reshaped the quantitative and symbolic relations between the Ukrainian national minority, Ukrainian citizens who arrived before 2022, and Polish society. Furthermore, while earlier migration from Ukraine to Poland was largely circular, an increasing number of persons are choosing to stay in Poland permanently. In this context, new, previously unknown challenges have emerged, both in pragmatic and symbolic meaning. Relations between representatives of various Ukrainian collectivities in Poland are based on multiple axes of differentiation, on establishing internal borders, and community-building processes. They are also conditioned by mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, as well as frameworks of migrantization and exclusivization of mobile individuals employed by the state apparatus and present in public discourses. Representatives of these collectivities participate in diverse power relations and are subject to practices of racialization, classism, sexism, and others. They also have varying access to symbolic, political, and economic resources, stemming from differing entitlements and varying social positionalities.
We invite authors to submit articles addressing Ukrainian collectivities in Poland, their mutual relations, and the shared or distinct discourses about them and those formed by them. We particularly encourage addressing issues such as:
* Diversity of attitudes, identifications, and interests within Ukrainian collectivities in Poland and their impact on mutual relations, cooperation, and conflicts.
* The role of persons with mixed or non-exclusively Ukrainian national/ethnic identification (e.g., Tatars, Roma, Poles) in the social life of Ukrainian collectivities in Poland.
* Groups particularly vulnerable to exclusion within Ukrainian collectivities in Poland (e.g., single mothers and large families, the elderly, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ persons) and strategies for countering marginalization.
* Forms of mobilization and self-organization among various Ukrainian collectivities in Poland in the face of war.
* Social class inequalities and the economic situation of Ukrainian collectivities in Poland and their consequences for social integration (access to the labor market, public services, etc.; differences in entitlements resulting from different residence statuses; integration challenges).
* Relationships of Ukrainian collectivities with Polish state institutions – the impact of access to education, healthcare, culture, and social welfare on the processes of inclusion and exclusion.
* Involvement of Ukrainian collectivities in public and political life in Poland – forms of participation, barriers, and strategies of representation.
* The influence of Ukrainian collectivities in Poland on Polish-Ukrainian relations.
* Public discourses about Ukrainians in Poland – their role in shaping attitudes towards these collectivities and internal relations within them.
* Discourses produced by Ukrainian collectivities in Poland – their significance, among others, for shaping collective identities and mobilization.
* The Ukrainian national minority in Poland (20 years after the implementation of the Act on National and Ethnic Minorities and Regional Language): relations with Poles and individuals arriving from Ukraine.
We invite authors to submit papers in both Polish and English. The guidelines for submission are available at: https://czasopisma.isppan.waw.pl/index.php/kis/about/submissions
The issue's guest editors are Dr. Patrycja Trzeszczyńska (patrycja.trzeszczynska@uj.edu.pl), Dr. Grzegorz Demel (grzegorz.demel@gmail.com), and Dr. Ignacy Jóźwiak (i.jozwiak@uw.edu.pl).
The issue is scheduled for publication in December 2026. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2026. Submissions will be accepted exclusively via the journal's website: https://czasopisma.isppan.waw.pl/kis