Work

The East and the West: Regional Deservingness and Migration Aspirations of Displaced Ukrainians Living in Poland and the Czech Republic

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Scholars of deservingness emphasize the attitudes of host societies toward migrant communities and inter-ethnic stances of migrant groups but not in-group perceptions of deservingness. Based on interviews with Ukrainian citizens who received temporary protection in the Czech Republic and Poland after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we show that participants classified the fleeing of their fellow citizens from Western Ukraine as non-deserving of temporary protection. Migration from this region, minimally affected by the war, was seen as economic and voluntary not forced. As such, Ukrainians from this part of Ukraine could not vindicate their displacement. By contrast, those fleeing from Eastern Ukraine were perceived as worthy, since their migration was “truly” forced due to the active war, and therefore deserving of temporary protection. However, most Ukrainians displaced in the Czech Republic and Poland are from Western Ukraine and thus, from the perspective of participants, they do not deserve temporary protection. This research suggests that regional aspects are important when studying the “deserving” or “non-deserving” migration aspirations of Ukrainian beneficiaries of the Temporary Protection Directive.

Source: East European Politics and Societies and Cultures

DOI: 10.1177/08883254251332662

Authors: Luděk Jirka, Mateusz Kamionka, Lucie Macková

Institutions: University of Hradec Králové, Jagiellonian University, Palacký University Olomouc

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650