Author name: IRECA

Research seminar on social sciences in and on war Organised jointly by IRECA, CERCEC, IUFU and CCFEF, a seminar devoted to social science research on war and wartime was held at the University of Warsaw (ul. Dobra 55) from 17 to 19 March 2026. It brought together 28 participants – undergraduates, PhD students and supervisors – from various disciplines within the humanities and social sciences, whose research focuses – amongst other things – on issues of memory, justice, art and visual media, migration, humanitarian engagement and video games in times of war. The aim of this three-day workshop was to create a forum designed to promote academic collaboration between students and PhD candidates working on issues relating to war in Eastern Europe. Participants from Ukrainian, French and, more broadly, European academic institutions (Lithuania, Germany, Poland and Portugal) developed an explicitly multidisciplinary approach to analyse not only how war is addressed by the social sciences, but also the impact of conflicts on the very practice of research. The first day began with a round-table discussion during which each participant presented their research topic (Master’s dissertations or doctoral theses). This session also gave participants the opportunity to get to know one another by sharing an anecdote or a physical object related to the seminar’s theme. The second part of the day consisted of presentations delivered by the academic supervisors, which enabled the students to develop their practical knowledge on topics such as the collection, preservation and use of qualitative data, in particular the collection and organisation of archives and the conducting of interviews in a war context. The second day saw the students play a more active role. Divided into four groups according to their research topics and supervised by experienced researchers, the students discussed, formulated research questions and presented the results of their reflections on the following topics: daily life, institutions, social ties, and representations of the self and the other in times of war. The second day concluded with a guided tour of Warsaw focusing on the city’s reconstruction after the Second World War, led by B?a?ej Brzostek, a professor of history at the University of Warsaw. The third and final day was devoted to the presentation and discussion of the students’ visual work, notably historical documentaries based on archive material and artistic creations offering an interpretation of the war. Finally, the concluding part of the discussion provided an opportunity to explore prospects for cooperation and led to an exchange of contact details amongst the young researchers. Among the initiatives discussed were the formation of research partnerships or groups, designed to foster cooperation, including through the exchange of best practice, advice, and the mutual peer review of dissertations or theses.

On Hold and in Motion: Retracing Circulations in Times of War and Beyond As part of the non-residential programme for Ukrainian researchers (Programme d’accueil non résidentiel des chercheuses et chercheurs ukrainiens, MEAE/CNRS) set up in 2023, IRECA, the Marc Bloch Centre and CEFRES were able to support 12 scholarship holders from Ukraine this year (59 applications were submitted). The research of the winners is mainly in the fields of literature and languages, followed by political science, administration and international relations, history and the arts. On 18 and 19 September 2025, a seminar was held at IRECA for the 12 selected fellows. Opened by the French Ambassador, HE Etienne de Poncins, and the Vice-Rector of the University of Warsaw, Professor Zygmunt Lalak, it also brought together the 2024 scholarship recipients, directors and researchers from IRECA, the Marc Bloch Centre and CEFRES, as well as the Max Weber Foundation Research Centre in Ukraine. The first panel focused on analysing the trauma and symbolic reconfigurations generated by the war. The second session examined narratives, their circulation and reception in different national contexts; it also analysed the recomposition of identities, the evolution of their interactions, coexistence and compatibility through the prism of language policies and practices. Taking a more forward-looking approach, the third panel traced the trajectories of reforms (in the fight against corruption and energy transition) and the impact of foreign investment in Ukraine, with a view to the country’s reconstruction. Finally, the last session focused on the war as it is experienced, the educational trajectories and adaptations it entails for displaced schoolchildren, the experiences of social inequality it engenders, and finally the representations and perceptions of home and hearth. In addition, a mobility programme in France was offered thanks to the support of the French Institute in Ukraine. Eight Ukrainian scholarship holders were able to spend three weeks in France: at Paris 1 University – Panthéon Sorbonne, the University of Grenoble Alpes, EHESS, the University of Strasbourg, Sciences-Po Paris, the University of Paris-Diderot and the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM) in Marseille.

Researching Ukrainian and Belarusian Forced Migration and Exile Since 2022: State of Play, Challenges, and Future Avenues Organised in cooperation with the Centre for Migration Research (CMR) at the University of Warsaw, the first IRECA seminar, held on 10–11 June 2025, brought together Polish researchers from the CMR and French researchers (University of Bordeaux, Sciences-Po Aix, Centre Marc Bloch, members of the ANR EXILEST project) around the theme of forced exile since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Focusing on the Ukrainian and Belarusian diasporas, this seminar allowed participants to discuss their work, methodological approaches and ethical standards used to protect research participants. Addressing topics such as the mobilisation of the diaspora during the war, the trajectories of exiled scientists, economic adaptation practices and educational strategies in exile, the seminar also provided an opportunity to discuss future opportunities for cooperation on these issues.