Zapraszamy na pierwsze w nowym roku akademickim wydziałowe seminarium naukowe, które odbędzie się w poniedziałek 6 października o godzinie 11:00 w sali 107, budynek D. Wykład pt. "Ukrainians in Europe and Estonia 2022: Russian Media Discourses Failed but have not Disappeared" wygłosi dr Heidi Erbsen z Uniwersytetu w Tartu.
Ukrainians in Europe and Estonia 2022: Russian Media Discourses Failed but have not Disappeared
This presentation draws on content and discourse analyses of international media outlets in English from 2016, international news in Russian generated by the Yandex News algorithms in 2018-2019, and the reception of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia in 2022 to highlight the shifts and/or disconnects in global and Russian narratives about Europe, the EU, Ukraine, and other individual state actors. Already in 2016 it was apparent from a comparison of international media outlets from different regions that the role and expectations for Europe and the EU differed. Analysis of specifically Russian language media from 2019 showed that Europe was viewed as inexpensive, inaccessible to Ukraine, and generally dependent on a few key actors (Germany, France, the U.K.). If Russian news were a window to reality, Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022 should have been welcomed by a much larger portion of Ukrainian society and the massive wave of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression met with hesitation in receiving countries. Neither of these came true in February 2022; instead, malign Russian narratives continue to fight not only along the front lines in Ukraine but among populations receiving Ukrainian refugees in Europe. Understanding these narratives is essential in combating them and ensuring the sustainability of support for Ukraine and peace in Europe as European society becomes fatigued by war and conflict three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In the case of Estonia and many other Eastern and Central European countries, providing for Ukrainians was and still is viewed as a key priority to deter the threat of Russian interference and influence in the region.
Heidi Erbsen completed her PhD in Media and Communications at the University of Tartu in 2022. Since then she has continued to work as a researcher investigating Russian media discourse and the overall reception of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. Currently she is the Country Representative for American Councils for International Education in Estonia. In addition to organizing and facilitating educational exchange opportunities in the Central and Eastern European region and the United States, she works as an independent researcher continuing to apply her background in Political Science and practical knowledge of social and integration mechanisms in Estonia.
