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Unit 4: Volunteering in Wartime

A Hybrid Approach

Oksana Mikheieva
Diana Makedon (Student Assistant)

Thematic Cluster: Civic Responses and Humanitarianism

This unit is part of the thematic cluster Civic Responses and Humanitarianism, highlighting civil society initiatives and informal volunteering networks—both contemporary and historical—that step in when state structures are weakened or excluded. Other units in this cluster are:

Welcome to the fourth unit in this module. In this unit we’ll be looking at the topic of volunteering, with a particular focus on volunteering during war and the displacement of populations.

The focus of this unit is on volunteering both as a theoretical concept and as a social practice.

Photograph showing 6 adults, three in matching t-shirts with the words ‘Pomogayem Charitable Foundation’ upon them, in front of a large blue and yellow sign
Figure 4.1: Volunteers from Charitable Foundation Pomogayem (We Help), Ukraine. (Figure 4.1 source)

The unit is divided into three main sections in which we’ll answer the questions:

  1. What is volunteering?
  2. What are the main theoretical challenges in the study of volunteering?
  3. What can a study of Ukraine in the context of Russian aggression since 2014 tell us about the everyday practices of volunteering?

After completing your study of this unit, you will:

  • have a nuanced understanding of a less studied area of volunteering as a hybrid phenomenon;
  • understand the possibilities and limitations of studying volunteering;
  • have the tools to engage with primary sources on volunteering.

Throughout the module you will have the opportunity – which we highly recommend you take – to explore additional sources of information through the Exercises sections. Independent analytical work will help you develop a more nuanced understanding of the core information provided in the unit.

A reading list is provided at the end; this will guide you on how you can further explore different aspects of the topic of volunteering.

Continue to Section 1: What is volunteering?

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Ukraine as a Migration Nexus Copyright © 2025 by Central European University Press, an imprint of Amsterdam University Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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