Forging Belonging under Pressure: Dr. Olha Mukha on Civic Resilience and Identity at “Unity and Diversity” Conference, Tallinn

Dr. Olha Mukha, co-founder of the Institute of Resilience & Reconstruction, participated as an invited speaker at the international conference “Unity and Diversity – Searching for Balance,” held in Tallinn, Estonia on 12 November 2025 and organised by the Integration Foundation.

Dr. Olha Mukha’s Intervention: “Negotiating Belonging and Identity under Occupation”

At the core of Dr. Mukha’s presentation was an exploration of how experiences of belonging, identity, and resilience are being tested and remade in contexts of occupation and societal transformation across Eastern Europe and the Baltics. Drawing on recent survey data and lived testimonies, including from the Ukrainian context, her talk highlighted how senses of belonging are shaped and challenged—across public discourse, state policy, and everyday life—particularly in regions facing occupation, displacement, and sharp legal and informational pressures.

Special attention was paid to challenges facing various communities: with new Estonian survey data revealing a dramatic decline in feelings of belonging among Russian-speaking minorities, and the ongoing impacts of “passportization,” surveillance, and restricted civic agency in occupied Ukrainian territories. Dr. Mukha illustrated these dynamics through vivid documentation—from the collective actions of the Angry Mavka movement to the preservation of language and daily ritual as subtle, yet meaningful, resistance.

Her session featured visual narratives and personal testimonies from artists and activists, tracing how belonging, in such conditions, often becomes an act of endurance and continuous renegotiation.

Watch and Listen

• The presentation and panel discussion (with Estonian simultaneous translation) are available for replay at the Integration Foundation’s official page (watch from 7:26).
  

• Dr. Mukha also participated in a special episode of the “Sergeeva” podcast on integration in Estonia, which can be listened to here.

Impact and Exchange

Dr. Mukha’s contribution reflects the Institute’s mission to document and amplify the voices and strategies of civic resilience in turbulent times. Her participation in Tallinn fostered dialogue among policy leaders, scholars, and practitioners confronting the challenge of making belonging and identity real, inclusive, and resilient—especially under conditions of external pressure and internal division.