Messages from Ukraine

Messages from Ukraine is a short graphic novel that takes place in the first weeks following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Based on text messages from young Ukrainian migration and integration professionals, the book explores their varied experiences in graphic form: those who are forced to flee home and seek safety elsewhere, those who choose to stay and volunteer or fight, those who witness events unfolding from afar, and those who find themselves trapped in cities under siege. This talk provides behind-the-scenes details about the development of the book, the people whose stories are told, and reflections on comics as a field of research practice.

More about the book at the University of Toronto Press website.

The event is taking place in Bush House (S) 2.03.

SPEAKER

Gregg Bucken-Knapp is professor of public administration at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. His research focuses on the politics of immigration and integration in a policy and administrative context, with a particular emphasis on the lived experiences of refugees hoping to achieve meaningful labour market integration. He is the lead organiser of the annual Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals migration and integration training module for participants from Eastern Partnership, Baltic Sea Region and Western Balkan countries.