Socio-Cultural Changes in the Everyday Life of the Rural Population of Naddniprianshchyna

Abstract

The changes those have taken place in the everyday life and culture of the Ukrainian village of Kyshchentsi of Cherkasy region in the 21st century are analysed in the article. The source base of the research includes field materials collected by the authoress in June-August 2023 using the method of participant observation. The peculiarities of private economic activity, changes in the life support system are considered and the migration processes that have taken place and are taking place in connection with the war are recorded. Globalization and information influences on the communication system of community residents, their socio-cultural needs and preferences are studied. The existing agricultural holding and farms provide employment for the villagers. A high level of self-employment is fixed. The changes that have taken place over the 23 years of this century in the everyday life of the village include greater mechanization of labour processes, the formation and expansion of the internal market for the exchange of goods and services through digital applications. The number of Internet users has grown, and the number of houses with a bathroom and a bath inside has increased. The war has changed the direction of migration. People from the occupied territories and the area of active hostilities have moved to the countryside. Modern rural culture retains only a few traditional elements, which is manifested in the preservation of some calendar, wedding and funeral traditions. There is further standardisation of family cycle rituals, such as weddings and funerals, which are organised by individuals and institutions. The expansion of the range of products has affected the nutrition and ration. New dishes are being introduced to the household via the Internet. The confessional situation has changed: patriotic believers have left the church, which has links with the aggressor state, and the question of further Ukrainianization of Protestant communities has arisen. New ideological attitudes are formed about the peculiarity of the period being lived, understanding it as the time of the end of the world because of the existence of constant threats to life. Volunteer actions and initiatives have become a common feature of rural life: collecting food for the front and for hospitals, raising funds for a car or drones for fellow villagers and residents of the district who are at the front.