Viktoria Sereda explores the dynamic entanglement of migration and memory from socio-anthropological perspectives. The studies on the transformation of memory politics and mnemonic practices in the region usually focus on institutional dimensions or nation-wide trends, politics of memory, or narratives produced by the political elites, memory laws, etc. Mnemonic processes linked to the (re)articulation of the sense of belonging, triggered by the armed conflict and under the influx of IDPs or refugees, received much less attention. She proposes to approach these processes by exploring the complicated relationship of memory with belonging and the everyday experiences of both displaced people and their receiving communities. In this lecture, Dr. Sereda will focus on the changes entailed by the war of attrition against Ukraine.
Following the lecture, moderator Geir Flikke (professor, ILOS, University of Oslo) will have a conversation with Sereda about the topic. There will also be a Q&A session with the audience, so feel free to prepare and ask questions.
Viktoriya Sereda is a professor of sociology at the Kyiv School of Economics and Head Coordinator of the Virtual Ukraine Institute for Advanced Study (VUIAS) at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. She is also an Associate with the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. Her research centers on migration, memory, and identity in Ukraine.
The lecture is sponsored by Hk-Dir, project no. UA-KOMP-FL-2025/10047