Project Updates
EuroBorderWalks at the 15th Conference of the Committee for Migration Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Aleksandra Sobańska and Katarzyna Waniek, members of the Polish team of the EuroBorderWalks project, participated in the 15th Conference of the Committee for Migration Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, “Emigration, Immigration, and Integration in an Era of Social and Political Polarisation,” held in Gdańsk on 23–25 September 2026.
Aleksandra Sobańska presented the paper “'They wouldn’t help us'. The image of the ‘Other’ in narratives from the Polish-Ukrainian border region,” based on an article of the same title co-authored with Agnieszka Golczyńska-Grondas. The article examines the sources of contemporary negative attitudes towards Ukraine and Ukrainians. The authors analyse the extent to which these attitudes stem from persistent historical stereotypes and the extent to which they are related to the experience of war and the consequences of mass migration. Studying the causes of prejudice between nations can contribute to the development of more effective educational programs.
Katarzyna Waniek presented the paper “Responsibility and care for the culturally different other. Liaison work and tolerance,” in which she highlighted the need to examine relationships with the culturally different ‘Other’ from the perspective of liaison work, as well as the importance of listening to the voices of those involved in these relationships.