Natalia Dziadyk

This research critically examines the production of knowledge about the war-driven displacement of people from Ukraine, focusing on the neglect of Russia’s imperialism and the “migranticization” of displacement. Based on fieldwork carried out in Prague, it explores how epistemological biases in migration research and political discourse sideline both the traumatic experiences of war-driven displacement and the political agency of those resisting Russian imperialism. Instead, these biases prioritize productivity-centered framings based on assessments of the economic contributions of displaced people. By engaging with postcolonial critiques, this research advocates for more war-sensitive approaches to knowledge production that highlight the structural and historical dimensions of displacement.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork, this project aims to address how, through their political claims and repertoires of actions, Ukrainians displaced by the war enacted new political subjectivities, shaped political alliances, and charged public spaces in Prague with new meanings. Situated at the intersection of social movement and critical citizenship studies, the project offers not only a more critical perspective on displacement and activism in times of war but also contributes to the volume of empirical works on the political activism of Ukrainian migrants and displaced people, giving their advocacy deserved scholarly attention.