UNIMELB_VELYKA-Olga_VYT-LOCAL-2025.mp4

This presentation, created for the Visualise Your Thesis Competition 2025, highlights key aspects of my PhD project that explores language and identity among Ukrainian migrants in Australia.

Transcript

Who am I?

A question that many migrants ask. Migration changes more than just where you live. It reshapes how you speak and where you feel you belong.

My research explores these shifts and focuses on language and identity among Ukrainian migrants in Australia. Through a nationwide survey and 30 interviews, I examine what languages migrants use and what each language means to them. Many Ukrainian migrants are multilingual, speaking more than two languages. To capture their diverse language use, I’ve developed a creative activity that visualises where and with whom they use different languages.

The benefit of this study is that it creates a crucial space for migrants to share their lived experiences, providing valuable insights into their engagement with the local Ukrainian community and their sense of belonging. The significance of my PhD project is that it reveals the dynamic and diverse perspectives and identities among Ukrainian migrants in Australia.

So, who am I?

“I am my language.”

(Anzaldúa,1987)

REFERENCES

Anzaldúa, G. (1987). Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Aunt Lute Books, San Francisco.