The development of Ukrainian cultural policy in the context of Russian hybrid aggression against Ukraine

Abstract

ABSTRACT The goal of this study is to understand how Ukrainian cultural policy has developed in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine. It examines new conceptualizations of cultural policy that appeared in Ukrainian public discourse after 2014 and the new legal solutions introduced under their influence. Reformers associated with the ‘independent cultural scene’ attempted to introduce a cultural policy model for managing cultural institutions based on liberal values and transparent, inclusive, and competitive principles. However, those in power, who were operating in the face of both an internal crisis and external threat, began to implement a cultural policy that was based on conservative values and subordinated to ensuring national security. The study’s principal thesis is that the resulting hybrid model facilitated dismantling of the Soviet cultural management model, strengthening local cultural industries and communities and actively countering hostile Russian activities in the field of culture. The activities of the the newly created and radically reformed institutions, such as the National State Film Agency, Ukrainian Institute, and Ukrainian Cultural Foundation have facilitated forming a greater self-awareness of Ukrainians as a political community, and mobilized them to fight for the integrity of the Ukrainian state. They have also had a tangible impact on international recognition of Ukrainian culture as independent of Russian culture, which was crucial in gaining international support in the conditions of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.