National identity of Ukrainian migrants in Germany: challenges and obstacles to preserving the self

Main Article Content

Rozalina Blahovista Klymchuk

Abstract

Relevance. Russia’s full-scale military aggression has forced millions of Ukrainians to seek refuge abroad with Germany leading the EU in the number of Ukrainian migrants. Being in a foreign cultural environment, the national identity of Ukrainians is undergoing changes, both as a result of conscious rethinking and unconscious processes.


The purpose of the article is to identify the challenges and obstacles faced by Ukrainian migrants in preserving their national identity.


Methodology and scientific approaches. The article is a review, based on theoretical modeling and generalization of practical experience in working with migrants.


The results of the study are as follows. A number of factors that determine the direction of changes in the national identity of Ukrainian migrants during their stay in Germany were described, including the importance of the conditions of departure, culture shock, family ties and social involvement, myths and misinformation. The strategies of behavior in intercultural relations were identified as follows: integration, segregation/separation, assimilation, and marginalization. The challenges and difficulties were delineated at various levels of their manifestation, including personal, intergroup, structural-caused, and supragroup. Additionally, potential solutions to overcome these challenges were proposed.


Practical significance, conclusions and perspectives. Preserving the national identity of Ukrainian migrants in Germany is one of the priority areas of refugee assistance. Preserving, maintaining, and developing the national identity of Ukrainian migrants are important conditions for educating the world about the authentic history of Ukraine and debunking Russian myths. The complex and multilevel relations between migrants and the host society, as well as changes in their national identity as a result of this interaction, require further research and the development of practical recommendations for practicing psychologists and leaders of Ukrainian organizations abroad.

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How to Cite
Klymchuk, R. B. (2024). National identity of Ukrainian migrants in Germany: challenges and obstacles to preserving the self. Problems of Political Psychology, 16(30), 99-113. https://doi.org/10.33120/popp-Vol16-Year2024-166
Section
Articles
Author Biography

Rozalina Blahovista Klymchuk, VHS-Bildungswerk GmbH

Ph.D. Student in Psychology at the Department of Small Group and Intergroup Psychology, Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the NAES of Ukraine

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