ABSTRACT
The comparison of countries based on Hofstede’s model gained a new context with the Russian aggression against Ukraine: the biggest movement of war refugees in Europe since World War II necessitated the quick recognition and management of support activities. The influx of refugees into EU countries triggered spontaneous responses, generating unexpected attempts to help. It also prompted a discussion on strategies providing long-term aid and the possibility of assimilation, integration, or cultural adaptation in the host countries. Based on current mutual cooperation, historical differences between Poland and Ukraine gain new contexts. This chapter presents the results of surveys carried out on a sample of over 500 Ukrainian refugees residing in Central European states, as well as in-depth interviews carried out from April to August 2022. The analysis of this material made it possible to describe the refugees not only faced with uncertainty but also trying to plan for their future, creating unexpected applications for cross-cultural matrices, including that proposed by Hofstede. A theoretical framework analyzing cultural differences between societies will provide a basis for interpreting the phenomenon’s dynamics and understanding their consequences. This also sheds new light on the relevance of Hofstede’s theoretical framework for studying practical migration problems.
