Maksym Yakovlyev

My project is centered on the ways to make Ukrainian voices heard in the region that is (still) known by the rather problematic title “Global South”. Trying to reach out to audiences in Latin America, Africa, South-East Asia is difficult for a number of reasons, many of them are still to be identified. The title of my project, starting with “(re)placing” implies that 1) in some cases Ukraine is already placed as a “USA proxy”, a “puppet of the West”, a “failed state” or a “colony of Russia”; 2) Ukraine is still seen either as a sphere of Russian influence or even as its “part” of some sort; 3) as a result of Russian propaganda, Ukraine may be perceived as a threat to security, as a “nazi-state” etc. The term “mental map” is also problematic; however, by using this geographic, spatial metaphor I would like to find out how Ukraine is generally perceived and how it is placed mentally into different categories in countries across the globe. In order to do so, I will be using reflections on my experience of academic exchanges (co-teaching, academic visits) with Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. In addition, I will use data from interviews and surveys conducted in different countries, and I will also work on identifying the main narratives and topics about Ukraine and the Russian war on Ukraine.