The Collective Identities of Central Europeans in the Shadow of War, 2022–2025

Author: Boglárka Koller

In: Európai Tükör 2025/1.

DOI: 10.32559/et.2025.1.1

Abstract

War affects most seriously both personal and collective attachments. The ongoing Russian–Ukrainian war poses a direct security threat to the European Union and its citizens, and also has a significant impact on the EU’s economy, politics and society. The ongoing challenges to peace and stability in Europe are prompting a re evaluation of national, regional, and European identities among EU citizens. The study focuses on the Visegrád countries – Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Chech Republic – where historical heritage, experiences as EU Member States over the past twenty years, and proximity to conflict have shaped distinct identity dynamics. Utilising a comparative approach informed by public opinion survey data, we are tracking the transformation of collective identities in the period 2022–2025, capturing long term trends and the effects of the war in Ukraine. What can we learn about the collective identity of EU citizens in the region? Has the war brought citizens closer to, or further away from the European Union? This study aims to present this dual dynamic and highlight the constantly changing interaction between national and European identity in a region that is geographically close to the war and located at the crossroads of historical memory and contemporary geopolitical turbulence.