Emancipatory Dimensions of In:Security – Strategies of Coping with War Challenges in Ukraine

Russia’s war of aggression has not only caused appalling atrocities and terrible destruction in Ukraine; it has also set back societal progress and security in various domains, including gender and social equality, historical justice and self-perception, societal cohesion and environmental protection. These dimensions of in:security have been widely overlooked in ongoing discourses with their emphasis on hard security issues.

The present report summarises the results of the third In:Security Workshop held online on 16 October 2024 on ‘Emancipatory Dimensions of In:Security’ as part of KonKoop’s topic line ‘In:Security’. The topic line investigates how security is perceived, experienced and enacted by ordinary citizens and how ‘societal security’ in Europe has transformed in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The workshop was dedicated to the feminist, post-/de-colonial, ecological and societal dimensions of security and insecurity. Participants focused mainly on the Ukrainian case, but also drew comparisons to the situation in wider Eastern Europe. The purpose of the workshop was to pool expertise and enhance interdisciplinary exchange among the participants. This report is based on the exploratory research presented at the workshop by experts from Ukraine and the Czech Republic who then elaborated on the overarching question of how in:security has evolved and partly led to emancipatory/liberating attitudes and effects.

KonKoop In:Security Report Series/3