1st Edition
Dynamics of Uncertainty, Unrest and Fragility in Europe In the Shadow of the Ukraine and Migration Crises
This book examines some of the most pressing issues affecting contemporary societies in Europe in the 2020s, namely uncertainty, unrest and the fragility of individuals and groups.
Monika Banaś, Vesa Puuronen, and their contributors analyse a selection of challenges affecting the present and near future of Europe and European societies. They reflect on processes and events that are having a pivotal impact on individual and collective life; for example, how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected reformulation or revision of such concepts as security, uncertainty, independence, freedom, democracy and democratic values, as well as nation and nationalism. The volume discusses phenomena such as the migration and integration of refugees, media narratives on the Russian-Ukrainian war, political campaign rhetoric concerning the war, institutional engagement in fostering civil and inclusive societies, strategies of young people to cope with uncertainty in times of socio-economic challenges, and immigrant women’s perception of Europe as a new home, one shaken by a military conflict at the eastern border of the European Union.
A valuable reference for scholars and students of European Societies studying a broad scope of courses in sociology, political culture, intercultural communication, intercultural – and international relations, along with political science. The book will also be of interest to experts and practitioners of the NGO sector active in supporting vulnerable individuals, communities, and societies.
Introductory Chapter: Various facets of uncertainty, unrest and fragility
Monika Banaś, Vesa Puuronen
1. Far away so close: Young Italians and the consumption of war images in social networks
Enzo Colombo, Giulia Giorgi, Paola Rebughini
2. The Enhancement of Foreign Qualifications: Evidence from a Case Study
Giulia Marroccoli
3. Beyond vulnerabilities: University as new opportunities for refugees
Ignazia Bartholini
4. Dynamics of Uncertainty in the Context of War in Ukraine: Discourse Analysis of the Slovak Newspaper SME
Jana Pecnikova, Anita Hutkova, Paulína Maťašeje
5. Narrating Migration in Times of “Crisis”: Perspectives from Poland
Karolina Nikielska-Sekuła
6. Polarizing Effect of Uncertainty by Projecting (Il)Liberalism as an Existential Threat: A Comparison of the Crises of the 2010s and 2020s in the EU and the Example of Central and Eastern Europe
Marko Lovec, Melika Mahmutović
7. Securitisation of Health: The Case of the European Health Union
Marta Hoffmann
8. Uncertainty rhetoric, symbolism and political campaigns in Polish parliamentary elections of 2023
Monika Banaś
9. Communication Narratives of President Zelenskiy Shaping a New Image of Ukraine in the World
Nataliya Gabor, Yuliana Lavrysh, Lyudmyla Pavlyuk
10. One Border, But Two Polands? Examining Polish Media Discourse on the Humanitarian Crisis at the Polish-Belarusian Border: A Qualitative Analysis
Natalia Ożegalska-Łukasik
11. Discourses on Asylum Seekers and Immigration in Finland since the 1990s
Vesa Puuronen
12. Perception of the Polish Army and Polish Defense Policy in the Spanish and German Press: A Text Network and Text Actional Analysis
Raúl Sánchez Prieto
13. Is This Our War? Poles and Their Sense of Uncertainty Towards the Armed Conflict in Ukraine
Renata Hołda
14. Civil Society Organizations in Supporting Young Migrants’ Inclusion in Uncertain Times in Italy
Roberta Ricucci
15. A Narrative of Diaspora: A Short Ethnography from Two Immigrant Women in Europe
Salma Andulmagied
Biography
Monika Banaś is Professor at the Faculty of International and Political Studies at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. Her research focuses on culture, politics and their mutual dependencies. She has published on migration and integration policies, political culture and political symbolism. Her works include inter alia: Protest in Late Modern Societies. Dynamics, Forms, Futures (co-editor R. Saduov), Routledge (2023), Integration Policy as a Challenge for European Cohesion in Politické Vedy (2022), Swedish Migrant Integration Policy After 2015: A Revised Approach in the Shadow of the Migration Crisis in Fuori Luogo (2021), The Cultural Potential of Femipolitics in Ireland at the Turn of the 20th and 21st Centuries” (in Polish) in Kobiety w polityce (2020). She is the chief editor of the academic journal Intercultural Relations.
Vesa Puuronen is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Education and Psychology at University Oulu, Finland. His research focuses on racism, history of education, youth, right-wing populism and governance. He has published on racism, local politics, youth cultures, political participation and populism. His works include “Municipal politics in Sami Homeland in Finland” (in The Sami World Routledge 2022), Youth political participation and right wing populism (Edited with Kari Saari 2017), Stigmatized by Society (with Marjo Laitala 2016), Racist Finland (2011), Introduction to Youth Research (2007). He is a member of editorial board of the Finnish Journal of Cultural Studies (Kulttuurintutkimus).
