KEY STEREOTYPES OF PERCEPTION OF STEPAN BANDERA

Abstract

Summary. The figure of the OUN leader is one of the most mythologized prominent figures in the pantheon. The purpose of the article is to analyze stereotypical perception of Stepan Bandera. Methodology. This research is based on general scientific (analysis and synthesis, generalization) and special historical (historical-typological, historical-comparative, historical-biographical) methods. Their application made it possible to analyze diametrically opposite and pattern views on the figure of the head of the OUN (b). The research is based on the principles of scientific impartiality and historicism. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the substantive study of stereotypes about the figure of Stepan Bandera. Conclusions. The study of sources and literature showed that stereotypical ideas about Stepan Bandera appear in three formats: hero, traitor, fascist. Each of them has an ideological and political basis, a sphere of circulation, and pursues a certain purpose. The heroic image emerged in the midst of fellow leaders and for the ukrainians became a symbol of the struggle for independence. The social resonance of his figure is demonstrated by the events surrounding the awarding of the title of Hero of Ukraine and supported by the creation of a memorial space in the regional dimension. The traitor’s stamp was formed by Soviet ideologues-propagandists in the context of a campaign to create a Soviet version of war and post-war history. The most bizarre stereotype qualifies S. Bandera as a «fascist». The latter feature was traced back to the modern era, but was based on the Soviet tradition of branding controversial figures. On the basis of the historical myth, the political myth was spliced, which is based on the concept of «Banderophobia», which is used to denote the potential threat of manifestations of national traits of the Ukrainian people. This myth is used in anti-Ukrainian propaganda in the context of Russia’s information war against Ukraine. The heroic image is fostered in the pro-Ukrainian environment, the stereotype of the traitor – originally from the Soviet version of the history of liberation competitions, the brand of «fascist» is exploited by extreme critics of Ukrainians’ aspirations for self-determination.