Politics of memory in Ukrainian-Polish relations

Abstract

The chapter presents the analysis of current developments related to the “shared history” of Ukraine and Poland, especially those that became “bones of contention.” It concerns mainly the events of the Ukrainian–Polish political and military conflict in 1918–47, primarily the Volhynia massacre in 1943. The Ukrainian–Polish interactions about their shared past are analyzed as a public policy process that produces symbolic policies in efforts to solve existing social, cultural, and political problems. The author shows that regarding the events of 1918–47 Poland is usually a pressing country, while Ukraine is a “defending” one. The “pain–releasing” policy conducted by Poland towards Ukraine brings its promoters the political power in the state but proved to be counterproductive for Ukrainian–Polish relations. In Ukraine, similar policy might bring a niche political existence to its promoters but not the political power in the state. In conclusion, the author proposes a policy of mutual restraint from officially promoting one–sided, extreme historic narratives promoted by “guardians of memory,” public funding of popular culture products (films, TV shows) that reproduce biased images of Ukrainians and/or Poles, and conducting “eye–for–an–eye” policy in Ukrainian–Polish relations.