Dandelion: The Reconfiguration of Citizenship beyond Territory. A Study of Dual Citizenship among Ukrainian Migrants in Poland and Canada

The dandelion is a plant with a transnational nature – it grows in one place, yet its seeds know no borders, spreading across the world and beginning life in new spaces. In the same way, Ukrainian citizens are today dispersed across many countries of the world as a result of long-term migration and its intensification following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They move between states, settle in new socio-political contexts, and some of them acquire the citizenship of their country of residence while simultaneously maintaining a bond with Ukraine.

The aim of the project is to examine how dual citizenship is interpreted, experienced, and strategically used by Ukrainian migrants, and how these practices contribute to the reconfiguration of citizenship beyond the borders of the state. The analysis covers two distinct migration contexts: Poland, the site of the largest contemporary migration from Ukraine, and Canada, which hosts the largest historically established Ukrainian diaspora in the world. The project addresses the following research questions: (1) how Ukrainian migrants in Poland and Canada understand and narrate dual citizenship; (2) in what ways it influences the formation of mobility capital and migrants’ life strategies; (3) how it affects their sense of belonging and their social and political remittances toward Ukraine and within their countries of residence; (4) how the different institutional and historical contexts of Poland and Canada shape the meanings and practices associated with dual citizenship; and (5) what significance the legalization of multiple citizenship has for the relationship between Ukraine and Ukrainians living beyond its borders in the context of the country’s future post-war development.

In the dandelion metaphor, dual citizenship symbolizes the delicate pappus of the seed – the structure that makes the seed mobile. The wind that carries the seeds can be compared to migration processes. Sometimes it is the wind of opportunities – education, work, or new possibilities. At other times it is the wind of crises and wars that force people to leave their homes. In the case of Ukraine, it is precisely the war that has become one of the strongest gusts, dispersing millions of people across the world. The new soil on which the seeds land symbolizes the socio-political context of receiving countries (in the Dandelion project: Poland and Canada). Yet each seed carries within it more than just the possibility of growth. Inside it is encoded the entire ‘equipment’ necessary to begin life. Similarly, migrants move not only with a suitcase but also with experience, knowledge, and skills. They carry with them different forms of capital – cultural, social, economic, or psychological – which they expand during their journey. Combined with legal capital, such as dual citizenship, these form mobility capital – the capacity to transform the experience of migration into new life and professional opportunities.

The project takes the form of a sociological study based on qualitative methods. It will involve in-depth interviews with Ukrainian migrants who have acquired Polish or Canadian citizenship, as well as interviews with experts dealing with migration, citizenship policies, and relations between the state and the diaspora. The use of these methods will make it possible to capture both the individual experiences of migrants and the broader institutional context shaping the opportunities and strategies associated with dual citizenship.

The project will be implemented in several stages. First, the project will focus on refining the analytical framework and preparing for the empirical research. Subsequently, qualitative research based on in-depth interviews with Ukrainian migrants and experts in Poland, Canada and Ukraine will be carried out. The collected material will be subjected to comparative analysis in order to understand how dual citizenship influences migrants’ mobility, their life strategies, and their relations with their countries of origin and residence. The results of the project will be published in international academic journals and will contribute to the social sciences, particularly to sociology of citizenship, migration studies, and transnational studies. They will also provide knowledge relevant to contemporary discussions on migration, diaspora, human capital, and the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and its integration with the European Union.