The primary objective of this thesis is to study the self definition of people in the context of migration. It tests the discourse of Ukraine?s belonging to the broader European culture and democratic tradition, which has become one of the core claims of the Ukrainian national(ist) ideology, popularized in the public discussions over the past two decades. Taking as an example the Ukrainian applicants for Shengen visa in Kyiv and migrant communities in Olomouc (Czech Republic) and Budapest (Hungary), it explores how this discourse develops in the context of migration, before the travelers cross the border and when they become ?insiders? as migrants in the host community. It suggests that such an experience leads to changing understanding of what it means to be European and a revision of one?s own distinct cultural values and history and their place on the geopolitical map of the world.The primary objective of this thesis is to study the self definition of people in the context of migration. It tests the discourse of Ukraine?s belonging to the broader European culture and democratic tradition, which has become one of the core claims of the Ukrainian national(ist) ideology, popularized in the public discussions over the past two decades. Taking as an example the Ukrainian applicants for Shengen visa in Kyiv and migrant communities in Olomouc (Czech Republic) and Budapest (Hungary), it explores how this discourse develops in the context of migration, before the travelers cross the border and when they become ?insiders? as migrants in the host community. It suggests that such an experience leads to changing understanding of what it means to be European and a revision of one?s own distinct cultural values and history and their place on the geopolitical map of the world.