“Where is Home?” Perceptions of Home and Future among Ukrainian Refugees in Norway (2024) was published by UKRAINETT members Oleksandra Deineko and Aadne Aasland in the journal Refugee Survey Quarterly.
This paper illuminates how Ukrainian refugees residing in Norway perceive “home” in spatial and temporal dimensions. By synthesising the “here and there” dichotomy with the concept of “home constellations”, the authors elaborate a theoretical scheme illustrating the nuanced and multifaceted notions of home that emerged during interviews conducted with Ukrainian refugees in Norway in 2022–2023.
The variety of home notions reveals at least four possible scenarios of interactions between “home A” and “home B”: 1) Home “where I am from” (home A in Ukraine); 2) Home “where I am now” (home B in Norway); 3) Double home (both home A and home B); 4) Absence of home (no home). The paper shows that Ukrainian refugees’ “homing desire” to create, feel and believe in a home existing in the present serves to overcome the multilevel uncertainties of the future caused by the temporary nature of collective protection and the unknown prospects of a safe return to their homeland.
(If you need help accessing the article, please contact Oleksandra Deineko)