CONFERENCE
Over the next five years, Professor Inta Mieriņa will lead an international team of researchers studying public attitudes towards migrants in four countries — Latvia, Poland, Hungary, and Italy — in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The project will examine differences and underlying reasons why citizens of Central and Eastern European countries, who have historically been highly sceptical towards migrants, have been so widely willing to open their doors to those arriving from Ukraine.
“I want to demonstrate that the determining factors are highly complex. They are not as simple as Western scholars often suggest — that a differentiated attitude towards other religions and regions is a clear example of racism,” explains Inta Mieriņa. “I aim to draw attention to aspects that have not been sufficiently studied so far, including our historical memory and geopolitical factors.”
Vice Dean of the University of Latvia Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (FESS), Professor Iveta Reinholde, highlights Inta Mieriņa’s passion as a researcher: “When she starts a project, her enthusiasm grows day by day, and she pursues it with remarkable persistence. Her determination is something I would wish for every scientist.”
Associate Professor Baiba Bela, who has worked alongside I. Mieriņa on migration research for seven years, also praises her dedication and capacity to deliver results even in projects that are especially challenging in Latvia’s research environment — where others might give up.
Professor Inta Mieriņa herself described the opportunity to work in science as a privilege.
The European Research Council (ERC) is the most prestigious and significant European funding body for scientific excellence. The grant awarded to Professor Mieriņa’s research team amounts to nearly 2 million euros.
 tenure professor Inta Mieriņa for a study on attitudes towards migrants, highlighted the project leader’s extensive experience as well as the special significance and scale of this research.){kind=link}