“We’ll Hope That Someday We’ll Be Remembered”: Social Workers in Times of War
Care work is immensely valuable to society, yet for centuries, it has largely remained behind the scenes—hidden behind the closed doors of homes and social institutions. Globally, women and girls perform three-quarters of unpaid caregiving at home, and more than two-thirds of professional caregivers are also women. Ukraine is no exception: the labor market in […]
Social Reproduction, Destruction and Adaptation: Care Infrastructure and Networks in Ukraine during the War
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, as well as both national and international policies to deal with the impact of the war, have surely influenced the spaces and networks of social reproduction, both in Ukraine and in refuge. The destruction and resulting displacement, neoliberal austerity, unprecedented border regulations, and refugee policies, have all […]
Joan Martinez-Alier: “Podolynsky was ahead of his time”
Serhii Podolynsky (1850-1891) is a paradoxical figure. A semi-forgotten Ukrainian sociologist (in Ukraine, not abroad), he is perhaps one of the most original Ukrainian social theoreticians of the 19th century. His impact is significant but understudied. Revolutionary agitator, profound researcher, madman – what is the most important in his life? Drahomanov collaborated cautiously with this […]
Seeking Refuge: Between a Weak System and Grassroots Refugee Solidarity
As a result of the Russian-Ukrainian War, millions of Ukrainians have left their country and Europe has seen the largest wave of forced migration since World War II. This has once again raised questions about the fairness of migration policies of European and global institutions. Many symptoms indicate critical problems in the architecture of the […]
Every day is a rainy day: what impoverished motherhood in Ukraine is like
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022, as well as both national and international policies to deal with the impact of the war, have surely influenced the spaces and networks of social reproduction, both in Ukraine and in refuge. The destruction and resulting displacement, neoliberal austerity, unprecedented border regulations, and refugee policies, have all […]
Not like a fish in water: how we listened to the experiences of Ukrainian refugees and learned about ourselves
"The amazing paradox of the ethnographic moment… is that coming closer to the Other creates a clearer sense of self, and thus opens up ways to know the Other better," emphasizes anthropologist D. Soyini Madison. In August 2022, a study called ‘The Art of Arriving’ started to explore the experiences of Ukrainian refugees in Austria. […]
Experiences that should have never happened again: how Ukrainians survive the war
Russia’s invasion has made murder, rape and torture a part of our everyday life. It never ceases to terrify, anger and remind us that we cannot stop fighting. Indeed, those defending us from the invader, those who have lost their loved ones or survived rape and torture, struggle the most. The existence of this suffering, […]
Where have Eastern Europeans gone? Made-in-Italy Agribusiness, Mobility Control, and the Great Resignation
Recent limitations to the freedom of movement imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, led farmers’ organisations (as well as other employers) across Europe to sound the alarm, lamenting the sudden dearth of workers needed for highly time-sensitive harvesting. These restrictions cut across workers’ nationalities and legal statuses and were especially strict between March […]
Drifters in the Making: Labour Migration from Serbia and the (Re)production of (Trans)national Inequalities
Sourcing labour from Serbia has never been easier. But the recruitment channels are not managed or monitored. With fake information circulating and actors willing to profit from migration flows, Serbian labour migrants are in danger of over-exploitation. Nevertheless, many people want to leave Serbia because they are fed up with a system that has […]
Together We Stand: Enforced Single Motherhood and Ukrainian Refugees’ Care Networks
With the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, approximately 7.8 million Ukrainians have fled to European countries[1], searching for safety abroad[2]. According to UNHCR Regional intentions report, approximately 87%[3] of Ukrainian refugees are women and children. Some recalculation of the report results allows an estimation of 35% or approximately 2.7 […]
