The invisible luggage of the displaced: emotions, trauma and public diplomacy

Abstract

All displaced people, be it refugees, migrants, or expatriates, experience a sense of loss and trauma. Ukrainians crossing the border to take refuge across Europe carry with them this emotional luggage that shapes their identity and influences their integration in their new host places. Yet, the consequences of this invisible luggage have been rarely scrutinized in depth in public diplomacy and even in diaspora diplomacy scholarship. I draw on the psychoanalytical work of Vamik Volkan to shed some light on the psychology of Ukrainian refugees and the reactions of Romanians as host population. I argue a greater engagement with studies of emotions in international relations and political psychology could shape a research agenda that addresses the role of emotions and trauma in a world shaken by many crises.