Vastness of identity. New social spaces of Belarusian immigrants in Wroclaw and Poznan

Centre for Migration Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań invites you to this month’s webinar given by Olga Panchenkova titled 'Vastness of identity. New social spaces of Belarusian immigrants in Wroclaw and Poznan'. 

Date: 18th December 2025, Thursday, from 17.00 to 18.30 (CET), online (zoom).

Everyone is welcome and you can register here: https://forms.gle/xWfkrzueQ1oEd82j6

Abstract: The 2020 socio-political crisis in Belarus not only triggered a substantial wave of emigration to Europe but also entailed the suppression of pro-European visions of the country’s development and the de facto prohibition of alternative conceptions of national identity. This configuration of dynamics gives rise to the central research problem: at present, Belarusians can preserve and advance alternative understandings of national identity primarily in the context of emigration. Consequently, major Polish cities have emerged as places of Belarusian migrant resettlement and, crucially, as locations where new social spaces are emerging — spaces in which intensified social practices, cultural initiatives, and the restructuring of national identity are taking shape. 

The research aims to examine, analyse, and describe two initiatives organised by Belarusian migrants in Poznań and Wrocław — the non-governmental Foundation KUT and the educational initiative Mova Nanova — to explore how Belarusian national identity is being formed, supported, and developed in these spaces. The study is grounded in Anderson’s constructivist perspective on national identity and informed by Lefebvre’s theory of the production of social space and Appadurai’s conceptualisation of the production of locality. Methodologically, it draws on qualitative ethnographic principles, using non-participant observation, both online and offline, alongside interviews with organisers and participants. 

The relevance of this research lies in demonstrating how migrant-created environments operate as key arenas for the ongoing formation and transformation of Belarusian national identity — a process whose dynamics are essential for interpreting contemporary political developments in Eastern Europe.

Bio: She is a PhD Candidate in Sociology at the University of Wrocław. Her current project, «Vastness of Identity,” is based on research into Belarusian migrants’ initiatives in Poznań and Wrocław. It forms part of her broader qualitative research on the formation of national identity among Belarusian migrants in Poland. She holds an MA in Communication of Science (University of Milano-Bicocca), an MA in Psychology (Higher School of Economics), and a BA in Cultural Studies (Belarusian University of Culture).

Facebook page of the event: https://fb.me/e/5xCRMKOJE

This webinar is a part of the CeBaM webinar series, where every month we invite you to a meeting with migration scholars from Poland and abroad.

Best regards,

Centre for Migration Studies

Adam Mickiewicz University