Session on the war against Ukraine at the
General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology in Kraków, July 1-4, 2023

Title

Russia's War Against Ukraine and its Impact on Europe: Understanding and Acting

Organizing committee

Beate Seibt, University of Oslo

Thomas Schubert, University of Oslo

Michał Bilewicz, University of Warsaw

Jana Papcunová, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Anca Minescu, University of Limerick

Hanna Hromova, Institute for Social and Political Psychology at the NAES of Ukraine

Iryna Hubeladze, Institute for Social and Political Psychology at the NAES of Ukraine

Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka, University of Gdańsk

Anna Potoczek, University of Warsaw/Jagiellonian University

Time

Lunch break Sunday July 2, 13:20-14:20. The participants can grab lunch boxes..

Continuing conversations and networking at Mięta Restobar at 20:00 on July 2nd.  

Please use the registration form to indicate your interest in participating in the evening or to sign up for the email list.

The session is open to everyone at the conference with an interest in these topics, and we especially invite our Ukrainian colleagues to join.

Venue

Room 5 (Seminar Room) in Auditorium Maximum.

Abstract

In this session, we will foster an exchange on some of the following questions:  Which social psychological theories are relevant and applicable to this war? How can our discipline, in concert with other disciplines, help reduce trauma, mitigate negative consequences on communities, increase resilience, and communicate the causes and stakes of this conflict to the public? How do we understand and map the psychological effects of the war in Ukraine on its people, the rest of Europe, and the world? What do we need to study about the war in Ukraine and its consequences that we are not doing yet?  

Program

13:20 - 13:50        Brief (2-5 min) presentation of various research and outreach initiatives.

List of presentations (slides):

• Hanna Hromova: Challenges of the war in Ukrainian migrants - a psychotherapeutic view. What helps to cope?
• Iryna Hubeladze: Social and psychological effects of the Russian-Ukrainian war: challenges for Ukrainian society
• Michał Bilewicz: The problem of proper response from authorities to war. How psychology could contribute? Should the voice of psychology change?
• Jana Papcunová: Refugees and migrants in secondary cities of Central and Eastern Europe. Challenges and opportunities for an inclusive public sphere, the experience with discrimination and hate speech
• Anca Minescu:  Outreach psychosocial programs outside universities and research: How can psychology contribute to the communities of displaced Ukrainians?
• Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka: How to build inclusive and cross-culturally sensitive learning and working environments in schools & universities
• Anna Potoczek: Social identity dimensions in shaping help toward war refugees

13:50-14:20        Small group discussions focusing on best practices, challenges and solutions, need assessment, and the way forward. Access here the living document collecting the points discussed in the small groups.

We will cover four main areas and form small groups depending on interest and group size:

• Supporting refugees in our scientific institutions
• Supporting refugees in our communities and societies
• Supporting people in Ukraine
• Social psychological research and dissemination to strengthen solidaric responses to the war in Europe and to counter misinformation

List of initiatives

We will only have presentations for a selection of initiatives during the session. To get an overview of initiatives related to the war against Ukraine by social psychologists across Europe please see the list below. Please contact the organizing team if you run or are aware of additional initiatives that should be on the list.

• Beate Seibt, Sigrun Moss, Ann-Cathrin Coenen, Milan Obaidi & Gulnaz Anjum, University of Oslo; Nora Sveaass, Mental Health and Human Rights Info; Svitlana Paschenko, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv: A human-rights based initiative to support people in Ukraine remotely: https://www.sv.uio.no/psi/english/about/cooperation/psychological-reactions-to-war-and-trauma/. Supported by Institute of Psychology, University of Oslo 
• Jana Papcunová, Slovak Academy of Sciences; Marija Petrović & Milica Ninković, University of Belgrade; Peter Tokár, Uzhhorod National University: A regional initiative for collaboration of PhD students, postdocs and early career researchers in social psychology. Supported by EASP Social Psychology Ambassadors grant 2022/23