Navigating the socio-cultural junctures: challenges of Ukrainian integration in Lithuania

Abstract

This article explores the integration challenges Ukrainian refugees face in Lithuania through the lens of Giddens’ Structuration theory. By analyzing how socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, income, and education influence refugees’ agency and interaction with social structures, the article seeks to identify key barriers to integration and propose insights for improving policy responses and social services to better enable and empower refugees. Anthony Giddens’ Structuration theory allows us to explain the participation of Ukrainian refugees in the life of the Lithuanian state. Ukrainians are seen as social actors performing the agency while creating their lives in Lithuania, which impacts some public service institutions and, at the same time, the social practices of the population. The theory makes it possible to highlight and show Ukrainians as reflective and critical-thinking actors who act purposefully to improve their life conditions. It also shows the extent of change occurring in time and space, acting as individual actors and/or as a mobilized social group.