Solidarity with Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia: what motivates those who help?
Solidarity with Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia: what motivates those who help?

Summary/Abstract: Background: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a wave of solidarityhas arisen in Slovakia with many people stepping up to help refugees from the neighbouringcountry. This welcoming attitude has strongly contrasted with the previous anti-refugeeatmosphere in Slovakia. The current study builds on the theoretical models of collective action andallyship, focusing on the motivations of advantaged group members to engage in helping or socialchange oriented actions for disadvantaged groups. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explorethe motivations of solidarity with Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia. In particular, it aimed to examinethe motivations of people who had engaged in helping immigrants and refugees in the past as wellas those who started only after the invasion of Ukraine. Methods: Semi-structured interviews wereconducted with 9 participants who were involved in various forms of actively supporting Ukrainianrefugees. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop and interpret the patterns of meaningaround the key concepts described in the interviews. Results: The first theme was based on theevents the participants described as triggers or significant moments that had elicited their need tosupport refugees. These moments were often accompanied by moral shock, leading to solidaritybasedactions. Yet the urgency to help and actively show solidarity served different functions suchas expressing a political opinion or coping with negative feelings. The second theme presented abroader perspective on helping a disadvantaged group. This was based on participants’constructions of their social identity that contributes to the level of inclusiveness of the moralcircle. The extent to which different disadvantaged groups are morally excluded or included alsoshapes which experiences or events trigger moral shock, and lead to selective solidarity on behalfof Ukrainian refugees vs. refugees from other countries. Discussion and conclusions: As well asproviding a basis for further research, the findings also invite us to reflect on how public discoursecan shape the level of inclusiveness of the moral circle in society and subsequently facilitate orhinder solidarity-based collective action.

• Details
• Contents