Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Based on oral histories of Vilcha residents displaced after Chornobyl and again by war, the paper explores how narratives of nature function as symbolic resources shaping memory, identity, and survival strategies.

Paper long abstract

The paper explores how narratives about nature among people displaced from the Chornobyl exclusion zone are revived and reinterpreted in the testimonies of the same individuals during the full-scale war and the repeated loss of their homes. Nature is examined both as a factor shaping experience and worldview in times of crisis, and as a symbolic resource for making sense of trauma and sustaining survival.

The analysis is based on oral history interviews recorded in 2016, 2017, and 2025 with residents of Vilcha in Kharkiv region. Located only 11 km from the Russian border, Vilcha has been almost completely destroyed by military action. For most inhabitants, this marked a second loss of home: the first resettlement followed the Chornobyl disaster, when they were forced to leave their native Polissya.

The narratives of those twice displaced consistently highlight nature as a source of strength, memory, and belonging. Recollections of flower gardens, orchards, and vegetable plots play a key role in restoring a sense of continuity and stability. After the first displacement, people sought to recreate familiar spaces through gardens and yards, while also engaging with the natural environment of their new settlement. The war’s destruction of these recreated spaces represents not only material loss but also the collapse of symbolic homes and everyday stability.

The study shows that in the memories and practices of Vilcha residents, nature emerges as an active presence—a repository of memory, a symbol of home, and a crucial support in the experience of repeated forced displacement.