Loyalty and patriotism: the role of Crimean Tatars in Ukraine’s nation-building project

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the Revolution of Dignity and the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Crimean Tatars overwhelmingly expressed their loyalty and identification with the Ukrainian state. This article examines the factors that account for Crimean Tatars’ siding with Ukraine and interrogates the meaning of Ukrainian identity for their culturally, linguistically, and religiously distinct community. To do that, the author engages in a twofold approach of 1) macro-level, long-term historical examination of the relationship between Ukrainian state actors and Crimean Tatars, and 2) micro-level, sociological analysis of the contemporary relationship within Crimean Tatar society. Tracing the genealogy of encounters between Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian dissidents in the Soviet period, the author argues that their shared anti-Soviet outlook allowed the two nations to view each other as allies in independent Ukraine. Furthermore, the liberal, anti-colonial discourse shared widely among Crimean Tatars found its reflection in their newly embraced civic Ukrainian identity. Yet it is also important to take into account the internal struggle among Crimean Tatars during the annexation, which reflects the tensions, risks, and rewards that come with the choice of identification.