Conversations with Experts No:2 - Webinar

Migration between Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has a long, often overlooked history. From socialist-era cooperation to contemporary professional, entrepreneurial and personal journeys, these movements have created connections between the two regions that extend well beyond the familiar story of CEE migration to Western Europe.

The forthcoming book, Central and Eastern European Mobilities to the Middle East and North Africa: Histories, Networks, and Migrant Experiences, examines these connections through historical perspectives and studies of migrant communities. It is an output of the Academic Partnership for the Study of the Middle East and North Africa in Central and Eastern Europe (CEEMEA), a collaboration bringing together seven universities with support from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).

In this edition of CEE Perspective’s Conversations with Experts, we welcome Professor Katarzyna Górak-Sosnowska, Head of the Middle East and Central Asia Unit at SGH Warsaw School of Economics, alongside fellow contributing authors Professor Egdūnas Račius of Vytautas Magnus University, Associate Professor Hanna Smaliichuk of Kyiv National Economic University and Assistant Professor Fabio Coriolano of SGH Warsaw School of Economics. The discussion will be facilitated by CEE Perspective Board Member Assoc. Prof. Cristina Procházková Ilinitchi, Head of the Department of International Economic Relations at the Prague University of Economics and Business and also a contributing author to the book.

The conversation will explore how these migration patterns have evolved and the diverse experiences of professionals, entrepreneurs, students, marriage migrants and religious converts. How do CEE migrants navigate their position within local social and economic hierarchies? What do their experiences reveal about mobility beyond the conventional East–West European perspective?

Bringing an economic dimension to the discussion, Cristina will draw on her co-authored research into Czech expatriates’ consumption, saving and investment practices in the MENA region. Together, the speakers will consider how migration shapes financial choices and connections between the two regions, alongside the challenges of researching relatively small and diverse migrant communities.

The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A.