CULTURAL ARTEFACTS AND BELONGING: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF DISPLACED AND REFUGEE YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES IN UKRAINE

The project is funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council Global Challenges Research Fund (AHRC GCRF)

Project duration: 14.02.2021 – 13.02.2022

General information

The main goal:

The study will examine the ways that displaced young people in Ukraine transform their identities and sense of belonging in turbulent situations through the use of cultural artefacts. In particular, the study will focus on the role of cultural and linguistic heritage in the transformation of young people's sense of themselves.

Project goals:

The project focuses on the making of new identities for transformed futures. It will examine the place of cultural artefacts in this creative activity, the process of mediation involved in transformation, and the context in which this is supported.

Project objectives:

• To explore the changing cultural landscapes for displaced people in Ukraine from an innovative inter-generational perspective
• To explore how cultural artefacts (e.g. music, poetry, literature) mediate feelings of belonging and cultural connectedness or exclusion during times of political and social crisis through the innovative use of cultural memory boxes
• To establish the feasibility of analyzing the role of cultural artefacts in the formation of identities in other conflict situation.

Expected results:

• To contribute to knowledge of the way that arts-based memories impinge on issues of affect and safety
• Enhanced understanding of identity development in turbulent situations will assist in the formulation of interventions that reduce feelings of insecurity, isolation, lack of belonging and estrangement.
• The research will conclude with exhibitions of cultural artefacts related to identity.

The partners:

University of Oxford, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)

At Karazin University, the project is being implemented on the basis of the School of the Sociology, Department of Applied Sociology and The Social and Humanitarian Research Institute.

Project Manager: Bil Bakirov.

Project Responsible Executor: Oleksandr Kizilov.