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Ukrainian Migration and Integration in the Czech Republic in the pre-and post-Maidan Era: Immigrant vs Refugee
KADLEC, František
Ukrainian migration has been a topic under the spotlight, especially in the past few years. The almost unwanted attention to the increasing migration wave was brought mainly by the military conflict created by Russia resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Ukraine mainly to central Europe. Ukrainian migration is however not a topic of 21 first century. I feel as if the public does not fully grasp the crucial difference between a migrant and a refugee. The terms are for the majority and media are often easily interchangeable. The two have however very different experiences. Starting from the initial decision to leave the country, ending with integration and even the idea of belonging. Migrant identities and refugee identities are formed very differently. During my research, I have found that literature regarding the differences between the two is not very common or popular and the media coverage is almost non-existent. Apart from a few NGOs that give somewhat of a guide as to how to have a "first encounter with a refugee and a migrant" there seems to be almost no emphasis on the topic. , Further, it is important to mention that the migrants and refugees themselves see the difference and can feel this gap of understanding between both groups. Ukrainian communities that have already formed in the Czech Republic over the years have very little in common with refugees from Ukraine when it comes to their personal experiences and although it may seem that refugees would gravitate towards the Ukrainian-speaking minority in the Czech Republic, it is not always the case. The thesis aims to analyze the challenges but also the help that Ukrainian immigrants and refugees receive upon their arrival to the Czech Republic. The thesis also focuses on explaining the shift in migration related to historical and current events in Ukraine and focuses on comparing the experiences of immigrants to the ones of refugees. The thesis will cover two migration periods. The first one in the late 1990s focused on monetary reform as a push factor for leaving the country. This part focuses primarily on the struggles of everyday Ukrainian citizens with the economic crisis mainly focusing on the Bukovina region as that was the home region of the participants in my research. The reason for the focus on the Bukovina region was also caused by the common history with the Czech Republic and also my familiarity with the area as that is where I spent over half of my life growing up. The second part covers the refugee crisis caused by the unprovoked invasion by Russia to Ukraine. The overall underline of the whole thesis will be the distinction between the migration and integration of refugees and migrants. My research showed me clear differences between the experiences of migrants and refugees. It also showed how migrants experience watching Ukraine go through difficult changes over time from abroad. This feeling often described as helplessness was a common nominator to the refugees spending the rest of their lives abroad. The feeling of belonging to the Czech society comes however to them more often than the feeling of belonging to the Ukrainian one. Feeling "Ukrainian" would often be triggered by events in Ukraine that sort of call for unity i.e. elections, sports tournaments, protests, and war. The aim of concluding the thesis is to provide the context behind the words "migrant" and "refugee". Often than not people seem to forget that a refugee is someone that has left their life behind and then have an expression of surprise on their face when a refugee is just a normal person with an expensive car, instead a child in ripped clothes and bullet holes in their backpack.
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