The role of religion in the integration of Ukrainian immigrants in the Czech Republic
Abstract
The authors of the article aim to analyze the features of migration and immigration processes in the Czech Republic caused by the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in 2022. Based on official statistical and sociological data, the researchers note a significant share (more than ten percent) of foreign migrants among the entire population. It is noted that the largest community of migrants in the Czech Republic today are Ukrainians, whose number has increased since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. An assessment is given to Czech state programs for the integration of labor migrants and refugees into the domestic labor market. The asymmetry in the integration of Ukrainian refugees is highlighted, among whom the majority, having higher education and being economically active, are forced to work in low-paid and unstable jobs. Particular attention in the article is focused on the role of the church and religion in the integration of foreigners in the face of existential challenges. It is proved that modern theories of economic migration, which see the prerequisites for migration exclusively in the rational calculation and decision of an individual or family, cannot claim to be a general systemic theory, since they do not take into account the importance of the influence of religious beliefs, religious faith and church affiliation of immigrants. The need for rethinking in the context of migration research of such social institutions as family, citizenship, national state, church, etc. is substantiated. This study interprets international and foreign religious organizations as institutions that have directly introduced new practices into the religious sphere and thus helped subsequent generations of immigrants to integrate into local society, thereby changing the religious landscape in these countries and making them (the states of North America and Western Europe) highly globalized and highly differentiated.
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