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Professor Natalia Chaban, PD-PCF UC/ UC Department of Media and Communication

Professor Ole Elgstr枚m, Lund University, Sweden

Professor Mich猫le Knodt, TUD, Germany

Professor Svitlana Zhabotynska, Cherkasy National University, Ukraine

This research collaboration has two directions to it. The first direction of our research collaboration develops our original theoretical model -- a聽perceptual聽approach to EU foreign policy studies. 聽This approach hypothesizes different types of gaps linked to聽perceived distance in terms of 鈥極therness鈥� between the third actor (Ukraine in this case) and the EU. We aim聽to understand and theorise the correlation between the degree of externally perceived 鈥極therness鈥� when it comes to norms, and the likelihood of EU external action to be considered effective. We offer a set of new concepts, namely, a聽perception gap, as well as聽expectation-performance,听hope-performance听补苍诲听critical expectations gaps聽adding new facets to understanding聽third actors鈥� reactions to the EU鈥檚 positions and actions.

The second research direction of our collaboration engages with novel theorisations of narratives in international political communication and develops and tests new methods in the study of narratives. In this direction, we aim to contribute to the 鈥渘arrative turn鈥� in IR and offer an answer to the question 鈥榃hat makes a strategic narrative efficient?鈥�. We explore the interplay of the three projection properties: (1) content accentuation and priming, through iterations; (2) content contextualisation, through historical and cultural resonance with the consumers鈥� memories; and (3) content verbalization, through narrative tactics that evoke a range of the consumer鈥檚 involved attitudes to the framed image. We examine how this interplay may get traction in the case when the antagonistic narratives are employed.

Our research collaboration argues extensive changes to the EU鈥檚 public diplomacy following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The changes have created important聽opportunities聽for diminishing, or even closing, many of the perceptual gaps that existed between the EU and Ukraine following the annexation of Crimea. We apply our original theorisations to understand the transformation of the EU鈥檚 public diplomacy in the context of Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine.

Chaban, N., S. Zhabotynska, M. Knodt (2023)聽What makes strategic narrative efficient: Ukraine on Russian e-news platforms.聽Cooperation and Conflict,听first online聽

Chaban, N听补苍诲听O.聽Elgstr枚m聽(2023) Russia鈥檚 War in Ukraine and Transformation of EU Public Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities,听Journal of European Integration聽45(3), 521-537.

Chaban, N. and S. Zhabotynska (forthcoming) Narratives of Ukraine on the information battlefields of global media鈥�, in M. Knodt and C. Wiesner (eds)聽The War Against Ukraine and the EU - Facing New Realities.聽Palgrave Macmillan.

Zhabotynska, S.,听Chaban, N., Chaban, A. (forthcoming)聽Ukraine鈥檚 Self-Narrative on the European Perspective: Reminiscences of the Future,听New Zealand Journal of Research on Europe

Chaban, N听补苍诲听O.聽Elgstr枚m聽(2023)聽鈥淭heorising Expectations-(Threat) Perceptions Gap: Evolving Images of the EU鈥檚 crises in Ukraine (post-Maidan and during the invasion)鈥�, Conference paper at UACES, Belfast, the UK, September.

Chaban, N听补苍诲听O.聽Elgstr枚m聽(2023)聽鈥淭heorising Expectations-(Threat) Perceptions Gap: Evolving Images of the EU鈥檚 crises in Ukraine (post-Maidan and during the invasion)鈥�, Conference paper, ISA 2023, Montreal, Canada, March.

Chaban, N.聽听补苍诲听O.聽Elgstr枚m聽(2022)聽鈥淐ritical Expectation Gaps: Advancing Theorization of the Perceptual Approach in EU Foreign Policy Studies鈥�,听JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, doi:聽

Chaban, N. and O. Elgstr枚m (2021), 鈥楶oliticization of EU development policy: The role of EU external perceptions (case of Ukraine)鈥�,听Journal of Common Market Studies,听59(1), 143-160, first on line聽聽(in the Special Issue 鈥淧oliticization of EU external action 鈥� European development policy at the crossfire鈥�)

Chaban, N., & Elgstr枚m, O. (2021).聽The Ukraine Crisis and EU Foreign Policy Roles: Images of the EU in the Context of EU鈥揢kraine Relations. Cheltenham, UK/Northampton, US: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Chaban and O. Elgstr枚m (2021), 鈥淭heorizing External Perceptions of the EU鈥�, in S. Gst枚hl and M. Schunz (eds.),听Studying the EU's external action: concepts, approaches, theories, Palgrave, 265-277

Chaban, N. and O Elgstr枚m (2020) 鈥淎 Perceptual Approach to EU Public Diplomacy:聽 Investigating Collaborative Diplomacy in EU-Ukraine Relations鈥�,听The Hague Journal of Diplomacy,听15(4), 488-516.

Chaban, N., S. Zhabotynska, A. Chaban (2019-2020) 鈥淰isual and Emotive: Russian E-news Coverage of Ukraine's No-visa Entry into the EU鈥�,听New Zealand Slavonic Journal, 53-54 147-173