L’Initiative de recherche sur l’immigration (IRI) vous invite à la présentation de recherche de la boursière récipiendaire du Visiting Doctoral Student Fellowship de l’IRI, Nanna Vestergaard Ahrensberg, étudiante au doctorat à l’Université d’Aarhus au Danemark. Sa présentation s’intitule : “Uniting and Dividing: How Language Choices Shape Ukrainian National Identity”.

Veuillez noter que l’événement se déroulera uniquement en anglais.

Résumé : This paper investigates how individuals express themselves in national terms, when they are geographically distant from a ‘hot nationalism’ context, yet emotionally attached to it. The study is based on unique interviews conducted with Ukrainian refugees in Denmark. The case of multilingual Ukraine is well-suited for exploring how language contributes to the formation of nationhood, given the general trend towards shifting from Russian to Ukrainian after the war. The findings suggest that national identity is viewed as an accomplishment that can be exhibited through one’s actions for the betterment of the nation. Thus, the deliberate choice to speak Ukrainian is seen as the primary way of identifying oneself and securing the future of Ukraine. Nationhood is inclusive in the sense that anyone can learn the language, and those who attempt to do so are praised for their efforts. However, Ukrainians who do not speak Ukrainian face strong exclusionary sanctions and risk being labelled as Russians or Russia-sympathizers. These dynamics are essential for understanding the formation of national identity in contexts where certain cultural features suddenly become hyper-politicized.