ISFNR 2026 Conference in Reykjavík
From left: Daria Antsybor, Kateryna Semenyuk, Oksana Dovgopolova, Nataliya Bezborodova, Iryna Koval-Fuchylo i Aleksandra Krzyżaniak
The paper explored how Ukrainian refugees and their Polish hosts mobilize nature — both as a symbolic resource and through embodied practice — to cope with trauma, restore a sense of autonomy, and rebuild a feeling of home. Fieldwork conducted in both rural and urban settings revealed a recurring motif of continuity with familiar environments: many refugees with countryside backgrounds deliberately chose to settle in Polish villages, valuing the opportunity to cultivate the soil. Gardening emerged as a tool for psychological repair, while plants — exchanged as gifts between hosts and guests — left enduring traces of hospitality and memory. The conference offered an opportunity both to present research findings and to build connections with scholars working in folklore, migration, narrative, and landscape studies from around the world, including from Ukraine.
From 13 to 16 June 2026, Aleksandra Krzyżaniak, a doctoral researcher in our project, participated in the interim conference of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR) Nature(s) in Narrative, held in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Aleksandra presented a paper entitled Tomatoes, orchids, and wheat: Hosting Ukrainian refugees in Poland through the lens of nature as part of the panel Healing landscapes and reshaped geography in wartime narratives. The presentation was entirely based on the findings of our project.