Collective Historical Memory Research Articles

History Politics in Kosovo: Elites’ Memory and Victims’ Counter-Memory in Public Spaces of the De Facto State (Contradictions of Collective Memory and Memorial Culture)

The article examines the development of collective historical memory in Kosovo, a region with contested international political status. The study aims to analyze the memorial policies pursued by Kosovo’s regional political elites, which contribute to the consolidation of the region’s political identity. Additionally, the role and significance of history and perceptions of the past in the discourse shaped by the elites of modern Pristina are explored. Methodologically, the article draws on the interdisciplinary contributions of historiography, particularly the memorial turn, as well as studies that analyze nationalism as a factor in the evolution and transformation of memorial cultures. The novelty of the study lies in its examination of the current stage of historical policy development in Kosovo, a region that is striving for institutionalization and recognition as a nationstate. The article demonstrates that: 1) Kosovo's political elites actively leverage both the real and symbolic potential of collective memory, 2) the region’s historical policy and memorial culture are marked by a high degree of ideologization, and 3) nationalism plays a pivotal role in shaping the main vectors and trajectories of historical policy and memorial culture. The study suggests that the memory policies enacted by the elites tend to blend ethnic and civic Albanian nationalism, characterized by a high level of politicization and ideologization of history. This active use and instrumentalization of historical narratives in public and social spaces transforms collective memory into a tool for memorial confrontation and memory wars.

Film Industry at the Service of EU Identity Politics

Mass cinema can act as a powerful tool for influencing public opinion by appealing to shared values and collective historical memory, while simultaneously constructing and guiding these elements in alignment with policy objectives. This article explores the thesis that national cinema, as an element of a common cultural code, plays a significant role in the formation and reinforcement of collective (socio-cultural) identity. Specifically, it examines the significance of Brussels' efforts to cultivate a robust film industry as part of the European Union's strategy for constructing a collective identity.The authors test the hypothesis that cinema serves as a medium for fostering a sense of belonging and emotional connection among EU citizens. To this end, the study aims to uncover the specific mechanisms by which common historical and social narratives are conveyed through European Union cinema. The research methodology is grounded in a structuralist perspective on cinema (P. Wallen, C. Metz).The article analyzes how the EU has intensified its institutional support and promotion of European cinema, particularly in response to the «crisis of ideas» in Hollywood, which has left a void in the global film market. This analysis is contextualized within the broader sociopolitical landscape, including the rising popularity of mass cinema during the pandemic and the heightened urgency for strengthening EU collective identity amid the Ukrainian crisis and the initiation of a special military operation.The findings indicate that the EU is increasingly leveraging the film industry to disseminate narratives, ideas, and values critical for both situational objectives – such as consolidating public opinion on specific political issues (illustrated by the «militarization» of the film market in response to the 2022 military operation) – and long-term goals of fortifying the EU's collective identity. However, the long-term efficacy of cinema in shaping public opinion is constrained by its susceptibility to rapid trend shifts driven by audience preferences.

Nostalgia of Sound: The Social and Cultural Phenomenon of the “Soviet Wave” Music Community

Nostalgia for the late Soviet past takes various forms and is intertwined in complex ways with global trends to look to the past for inspiration in creating new examples of mass culture. New generations of those who were born and raised after the collapse of the Soviet system are being introduced to nostalgic reminiscences. The article analyzes the socio-cultural phenomenon of electronic music Soviet Wave, which combines the stylistics of the late Soviet popular culture and contemporary electronic music. This phenomenon can be understood as post-nostalgia for the late Soviet, since it involves members of the younger generation who know about the Soviet from the stories of their parents and the media. In addition, the “Soviet Wave” is also analyzed as part of the general trend of retromania described by S. Reynolds. Reynolds, where there is an endless reference to the musical styles of the past in the creation of new works. The main concept of the phenomenon of the Soviet Wave is the idea of “ersatz-nostalgia” by A. Appadurai, which suggests the contemporary experience of the past without a corresponding life experience and collective historical memory, but based on the popular patterns of mass culture, in the representations of which the past has already undergone profound transformation. Nostalgia for the late Soviet past takes various forms and is intertwined in complex ways with global trends to look to the past for inspiration in creating new examples of mass culture. The article presents a brief history of the formation and evolution of the musical culture of “Soviet Wave” in the Russian subcultural scene, shows the connection of the aesthetics of this trend with the nostalgic mood of the late Soviet period, reveals the elements of ersatz and techno nostalgia (T. Pinch, D. Reyneke), examines the relationship of this phenomenon with the broader trends in contemporary mass culture in the international context. “The Soviet Wave” is also considered as an element of cultural citizenship formation and transformational museumfication of the Soviet. The article is based on the results of the author’s empirical research, which included interviews with musicians working in the “Soviet Wave” genre.

Organización comunitaria como clave para el desarrollo del turismo comunitario: Caso PonceQuilotoa

This article seeks to analyze the participation of social actors within the community organization in relation to the tourist activity of the Ponce Quilotoa community, for this, a mixed investigation was applied, (quantitative and qualitative) considering 231 residents of the community as the population. community and 380 tourists who visit the Quilotoa lagoon, in the same way, interviews were carried out with the leaders of the community, where, through a triangulation of data, the results were identified: that the main characteristics of the community organization as well as the Sociocultural impacts generated by tourist activity arebased on the community's own ways of life, thus allowing us to propose a study that takes community tourism as a social and cultural phenomenon, where collective historical memory, processes are emphasized. organizational structures and the Andean worldview as a basis for the development of community tourism.

Holocaust: Artistic Dimensions of Contemporary Ukrainian Prose (Using the Example of Larysa Denysenko’s Echoes: From the Dead Grandfather to the Deceased

In recent times, global events have starkly illuminated the disturbing absence of ethnic tolerance, thrusting interethnic conflicts into the spotlight and casting shadows over both individual and collective identities. This research focuses on the Holocaust, delving into the annals of history through the lenses of recollection, personal identification, and genetic memory, as portrayed within the pages of the novel Echoes: From the Dead Grandfather to the Deceased. The primary aim is to fathom the gradual erosion of collective historical memory over time and discern its profound significance for future generations. Within this study, an examination of the interplay between the ‘collective unconscious’ and the ‘personal unconscious’ is undertaken. Additionally, the novel’s utilization of symbols and details is scrutinized. The research employs a multifaceted approach, encompassing historical-genetic, interpretative, narrative, and psychoanalytic methodologies. Through the protagonist’s transformative journey, the novel highlights the importance of preserving historical memory and recognizing its lasting impact on individual and collective consciousness.

МЕЖДУ ПРОШЛЫМ И БУДУЩИМ: РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЯ ИСТОРИЧЕСКОЙ ПАМЯТИ В РУНИЧЕСКИХ НАДПИСЯХ V-XI ВВ.

The article deals with the representation of the collective historical memory in runic writing. In the 5th – 7th centuries runic inscriptions on stone monuments start to mention public events, such as the death of a chieftain or public sacrifice, preserving thus the historical memory about it. The texts include only ‘keys’ that actualize the memory, a personal name first of all. The emergence of the memorative function changes attitudes to the monuments. They become public value that is protected by spells against anyone who harms the monument. A memorial formula opens with the ‘key’ to the historical memory – the name of the remembered person. In the 9th to 11th centuries the memorial formula is further transformed: it now opens with the names of those who ordered the monument, then follows the statement about its erection, the name of the deceased and his relationship in kinship with the customer(s). The transfer of the emphasis to the customers points to the importance of preserving information on their relationship, probably to confirm their inheritance rights. The glorification of the deceased and making the genealogical information public, however, do not remain events of public concern. The memorative function of runic monuments thus declines, they represent a family and not collective historical memory. Later runic writing loses its memorative function altogether; it becomes the means of communication between individuals.

ПОЛИТИКА ПАМЯТИ В ЛЕГИТИМАЦИИ ВЛАСТИ ПОСТСОВЕТСКИХ ГОСУДАРСТВ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ОСНОВНЫХ НАУЧНЫХ ТЕОРИЙ

The formation of political regimes in the republics of the former USSR is helped by the implementation of an active symbolic policy, which contributes to the legitimation of power in the majority of states formed after 1991. The presented article reflects scientific theories and approaches to the phenomenology of symbolic politics considered in the interaction of the political power of new polities and social strata and population groups of these states. The relevance of the chosen topic of the article lies in the study of the algorithm for the implementation of symbolic politics in new conditions that influence the legitimation and strengthening of political power in new states. Field research: political institutions, processes and technologies. The purpose of the article is to present and justify the author’s definition and phenomenology of the symbolic politics of post-Soviet states in line with scientific theories and approaches to understanding the role of states and public policy. The subject of the study is the essential characteristics of symbolic politics in the processes of legitimation of political regimes in the republics of the former USSR. As a result of the research conducted by the author, on the basis of scientific theories and approaches to public policy, the essence of the symbolic policy pursued in the states of the post-Soviet space is substantiated. Problem statement: the constructed collective historical memory and political mythology in the post-Soviet space, implemented by state institutions and non-state actors, provides a solution to the following problems. In particular, the legitimation of political power, the success of the formation of civil identity and the construction of a political nation. The study of successful examples of symbolic policies of new states has a chance of practical application in the Russian Federation.

Культура исторической памяти современного немецкого монархизма

The article examines monarchism as a form of memorial culture and historical policy in contemporary German society. The research aims to analyze monarchism as a form of historical memory. The author explores the role and significance of monarchist intellectuals in shaping historical policy and the memorial culture that evolves within the framework of monarchist historical imagination. The novelty of the study lies in examining the current stage of monarchist ideology in Germany, not as a form of political participation, but as a version of historical memory and memorial culture, grounded in the principles of both historical revisionism and German nationalism. The article demonstrates that (1) monarchism in contemporary Germany cultivates its own perceptions of the past and history; (2) the historical imagination of German monarchism is a form of historical revisionism, as the monarchist past and legacy are systematically mythologized and ideologized in the political imagination of monarchist supporters; (3) in its historical imagination, monarchism constructs alternative versions of historical memory and memorial culture, distinct from those proposed by civic identity. The article highlights that monarchist forms of historical memory contribute to ongoing transformations in memorial culture, promoting the parallel development of alternative counter-memories that operate within the political and ideological framework of monarchism. It is suggested that the visualization of collective historical memory regarding the unique historical experience of monarchy, including the narrative and discursive tactics and strategies of contemporary monarchists, enhances the heterogeneous nature of Germany’s memorial tradition, fostering the consolidation of unique perspectives on the past, which form the foundation of monarchist historical imagination and memorial culture as a form of alternative memory.

The Historical Politics of the Contemporary Greek Society

The aim of the study is to examine the contemporary politics of memory in Greece in the early 2020s. The author analyzes the role and place of various ideological trends in modern Greek social thought, defining them as factors in the development and transformation of memorial culture and the collective historical memory of society. The novelty of the study lies in addressing the current stage in the development of the historical policy of the Greek society in the context of an objective lack of interdisciplinary research. The article is based on the principles of interdisciplinary historiography on memory studies. The author uses the achievements of the memorial turn and intellectual history to analyze Greek politics of historical memory and memorial culture. The article reveals the importance of factors of weak institutionalization of memorial culture in the context of significant politicization and ideologization of historical memory. The article shows that social activists as agents of the politics of memory in modern Greek society make a significant contribution to the development and transformation of memorial culture, the spectrum of memorial practices of Greek intellectuals varies from nationalism to liberalism, the participation of intellectuals in memorial politics impacts the parallel co-development of various competing forms of historical memories and versions of memorial cultures. The research suggests that the role of society in the historical politics of modern Greece will increase, and the intellectual community will remain among the active participants in the collective memorial politics.

Science Fiction Series <i>Orville</i> as Space for the Memorial Cultures and Memory Wars

The relevance of collective memory analysis comes from the increasing role of memorization in social processes, which are currently acquiring increasingly significant conflict potential. The author analyses visual material of the popular science fiction series The Orville, which represents a segment of American political culture, as one of the cultural mechanisms for the assimilation of ideology and politics in mass cultural discourse. It is presumed that The Orville parodies the classic epics Star Trek and Babylon 5 and thus is part of the processes of deconstructing the historical collective memory of modern American society. This study intends to establish how a formally parody series not only mocks and imitates, but also constructs its own versions of memorial culture. The article aims: 1) to describe the universal tactics of deconstruction as a form of revision of existing memorial cultures; 2) to clarify the possibilities and boundaries of describing memorial culture through the prism of visual mass culture, using the example of a science fiction series; 3) to analyze the modes of updating political and social contradictions in American society on the example of the TV series The Orville; 4) to consider the specificity of the transformation of mass consciousness by constructing a new version of identity in the light of a radical revision of the narratives of classic science fiction series; 5) to analyze the political and ideological dimensions of the memory wars presented in the clash of traditional and liberal values of the characters in the series. Methodology of the article bases on the principles of the memorial turn and the analysis of the politics of memory within the paradigm of cultural and intellectual history and includes the methods of discourse analysis and intent analysis. The novelty of the study lies in determining the directions and specificities of the assimilation of the political, limited by the problems of collective memory, cultural, religious and gender identity along with military and ideological confrontation in modern mass culture of historical memory within the visual space of the science fiction series The Orville. The series is analyzed as an attempt to deconstruct the cultural experience and legacy of Star Trek, which actualized science fiction series as one of the sources of cultural and social meanings for modern consumer society. The author also analyzes the contribution of the series to the development of the collective memory of US society; the transformation of the concepts of Self and Otherness through the prism of specifying cultural, religious and gender roles. Revision of the past in popular culture as an alternative space for the functioning of collective historical memory is investigated. As a result of the study, it is presumed that The Orville actualizes modern American laughter culture and inspires attempts to rethink collective memory, the collective historical experience of trauma and represents an attempt to abandon the strategies of historical amnesia and ignoring politically inconvenient experiences.

Political Poetics of Arab Rap as a Form of Memorial Culture

The purpose of the article is to analyse modern Arab rap culture in the politics of memory. The author analyses the tactics and strategies of imagining and inventing the past, its ideologically and politically motivated reinterpretations in the discourse of Arabic rap. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of Arabic rap as a form of memory politics, since most academic studies of memorial culture are limited to the analysis of the visualization and actualization of the past in the nationalist and political imagination, which leads to ignoring the texts of modern mass culture and consumer society as forms and dimensions of the mnemonic space. The article analyses the contribution of Arabic rap to the formation and development of modern memorial culture in contexts of the historical memory of the Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa. The article also analyses a wide range of problems presented in the Arabic rap discourse. It is presumed that texts of the rap singers inspire the fragmentation of the Arab societies, actualising and visualising various versions of the memorial culture. It is assumed that rap as a form of mass culture can significantly influence the politics of memory as one of the spaces for the actualization and visualization of various memorial canons inspired by the generational differences in ideological and political preferences of Arab societies in contexts of the transformation of collective historical memory.

The image of the future and a fair social structure: public opinion of nizhny novgorod residents in 2022

The article summarizes the individual results of a sociological study of the public opinion of residents of the Nizhny Novgorod region, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the USSR. The results of the study are considered from the point of view of the influence of the Soviet period of the country's history on the formation of the image of the future on the scale of macro-social groups and strata of the population. The article presents the role and influence of ideas formed in the Soviet period about social justice and, in a narrow sense, the just social structure of society and the state on the formation of the image of the future in modern Russia. The key role of the ideas and collective historical memory formed in the Soviet period in the further development of the country, the unity of the regions and the center is emphasized. The materials continue the series of studies 2015-2022. and are based on research data conducted by the Volga Branch of the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the ANO "Research Institute of Social Management Problems" (Nizhny Novgorod).

Historical reflection as a source of inspiration for youth resistance in illiberal regimes – a qualitative study of the FreeSZFE movement in Hungary

ABSTRACT Political socialization of youth is crucial both in the maintenance of an illiberal regime and in the resistance by civil society. The present qualitative study provides insight into the personal motivations of student leaders of a youth resistance movement organized for the protection of academic autonomy against the ‘illiberal democracy’ of Hungary. The study sought to explore how collective historical memory contributes to political socialization, whether historical reflection was a source of inspiration and whether history education triggered conscious citizenship resulting in the engagement of youth in resistance. Data collection involved interviewing 15 former students of the University of Theatre and Film (Színház- és Filmművészeti Egyetem, SZFE) who played a key role in managing a 71 days long university blockade in 2020. Thematic analysis suggests that history education has the potential to trigger consciousness regarding citizens’ responsibility to confront power restricting individual freedoms and institutional autonomy. However, mainstream, alienating history education supported by the government in Hungary did not realize these potentials. Findings can be utilized in further research on the necessity of interactive, engaging history education methodologies to facilitate comparative reflection on history and current public affairs and to encourage conscious and active citizenship in illiberal regimes.

Withdrawals of the “Image” and Ruptures of Archival Form

Walid Raad’s quasi-fictional yet historically driven The Atlas Group has been a touchpoint for many contemporary discussions around the roles of archives in contemporary art. Raad’s project focuses on the Lebanese Civil War, often from the standpoint of perturbations in collective historical memory. This article argues that despite its ostensible claims to archival documentation, The Atlas Group’s archival status can be considered an extension of its fictional apparatus. The Atlas Group reveals formal structures that resist standard archival patterns of organization and depend rather on various forms of time-based circulation, distribution, and presentation. The Atlas Group can be considered a partly performative enterprise from which various apparatuses of transmission have receded, but haunt, the project. The Atlas Group’s contents often register latent infrastructures of cinematic projection and time-based narration that have been absented from collective experience. This infrastructural withdrawal relates directly to the historical conditions of conflict and war that the project addresses. Here, this phenomenon of withdrawal amid war’s aftermath is discussed in connection with other artistic practices that touch on the Lebanese regional context, such as those of Oraib Toukan and Jalal Toufic. By exploring how The Atlas Group challenges established conceptions of the image, the article also considers how the project intervenes in new debates within media theory. Drawing on scholarship, Raad’s lecture-performances, and the artist’s accounts of The Atlas Group’s historical and artistic context, this article argues that Raad’s project engages a deep contestation of the terms on which imagemaking unfolds in the midst of proliferating digital technologies.

The concept of a cultural heritage object (terminological overview)

Cultural heritage is a special phenomenon of human culture. There are definitions of heritage as a substratum of identity, evidence of the development of civilization, an artifact connecting the present and the past, etc. The actualization of cultural heritage, its return to spiritual and economic circulation can serve ideological tasks. Heritage can act as a symbol of the ideological foundations of society, demonstrate strategic priorities that are of particular importance for modernity. Cultural heritage, being a product of creative activity of generations, is formed by a unique combination of circumstances, and, as a result, is unique and non-renewable. All these factors demonstrate the special potential of the heritage, which should be recognized as practically inexhaustible. For this set of reasons, there is a difficulty in interpreting the concept of an object of cultural heritage. This field of scientific search remains an exclusively debatable space with many options for interpreting the key concept. The purpose of the study is to consider the interpretations of the concept of cultural heritage and to determine the specifics of its nature. Simultaneous reference to related concepts allows us to expand the idea of cultural heritage as a collective historical memory expressed in tangible and intangible artifacts. The interdisciplinary methodology based on the comparative method is designed to determine the most concise and capacious definition of heritage, which will reveal the features of its potential actualization in the interests of the state and society.

Restoration and highlight of Agioi Theodoroi church in Nafplio with the use of CAD technologies

The church of Agioi Theodoroi is located north of the new city of Nafplion, in the “Neo Byzantio” or “Kültepe” area, near the main road connecting Naflion to Argos, on Kalamata Street. It is a small, simple construction, single aisled church with pitched tiled roof and a semi-circular sanctuary arch. The church is not pro-claimed monument, but it constitutes important historical evidence of recent history of the city and of Greece in general, given that it is documented to be associated with one of the protagonists of the Revolution of 1821 Theodoros Kolokotronis and therefore it is inextricably linked to the collective historical memory.
 Today the church belongs to “Holy Church of Saint Constantine and Helen” in Naflion. Due to celebrations for the 200 years anniversary of the Greek revolution, the committee “Greece 2021” has approved the financing of its restoration.
 This paper presents the initial diagnostic procedures as well as the first results from the plaster removals and the test sections in the construction field. The diagnostic procedures include the creation of multidisciplinary thematic maps in Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment, which incorporate: (a) data of historical and architectural documentation (b) data of geometric documentation and (c) data of building materials characterization and decay diagnosis.
 It is about a work in progress and is proceeding with multidisciplinary collaboration between historians, architects, archeologists, material science engineers. Of particular interest is the involvement of the local community in support of the project and in archival/bibliographic research. Finally, the completion of the project will bring changes to the map of the city’s points of historical interest since it is located outside the historic city center. This event should have as its goal both the sustainable protection of the monument as well as the sustainable development of the wider area

«Википедия» как пространство мемориальной конфронтации каталонской и испанской исторической памяти

The purpose of this study is to analyze the perception of Catalan nationalism in the Catalan and Spanish ver-sions of Wikipedia as modern space for the development and actualization of collective historical memory and national identities. The author analyzes how agents of historical politics in Catalonia and Castile, using the vir-tual space of Wikipedia, construct various images of the history of Catalan nationalism and its political deriva-tives. The novelty of the research consists in the analysis of the virtual space of Wikipedia as a sphere of actual-ization of different versions of collective historical memory for Catalonia and Spain. The author analyzes: the perception of Catalan nationalism experience in the Catalan and Spanish sections of Wikipedia; various points of view on the history of Catalan nationalism presented in the virtual space; the perception of the history of Cat-alan nationalism as space of memory wars and memorial confrontations. The study also shows that the virtual-ization of collective memory has become a factor stimulating various and mutually exclusive ways of perceiv-ing the historical past, as presented in articles in the Catalan and Spanish sections of Wikipedia focused on the history of Catalan nationalism. It is assumed that the virtual space of the Catalan and Spanish versions of Wik-ipedia are just as susceptible to politicization as the academic environment of the regional historiographies of Spain. The results of the study suggest that the trends of memory virtualization will contribute to the Catalan-Spanish memorial confrontation.

Islamic State of Indonesia in modern Indonesian memorial culture

The purpose of the article is to analyze the peculiarities of the perception of the Islamic State of Indonesia (1949–1962) in modern Indonesian memorial culture and historical collective memory. It is assumed that the ideological contradictions and methodological difficulties of localizing the history of Islam in the culture of memory of Indonesia are aggravated by the collective traumas of mutual violence and mistrust between secular nationalists and their Islamic opponents. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of the attempts of the Indonesian society to form a compromise canon of the culture of historical memory as a space for dialogue and development of the images of the Islamic State, which was previously the object of negative mythologization, which led to its marginalization in the collective historical memory. The author analyses 1) the features of the imagination of the Islamic State in the politics of memory, 2) the prospects and contradictions of integrating the history of the Islamic State into the historical imagination of the memorial culture of Indonesia, 3) attempts to revise the history of the Islamic State in the context of the development of the memorial culture of modern Indonesian society. The results of the study suggest that Indonesian society is active in its attempts to use the mechanisms of historical politics to form a new image of the history of the Islamic State, seeking to build a compromise version of the memorial culture, which would include secular and religious versions of historical memory.

Old Believers as a (f)actor in the transformation of contemporary Russian historical policy and memorial culture

The features of development and the main vectors of the transformation of historical memory of the Old Believer segment of modern Russian society are analyzed. It is shown that the Old Believer intellectuals are active in the formation of their own versions of the collective historical memory. The author analyzes the perception of community experience by Old Believer intellectuals in collective memory, constructed the concepts of "self" and "sacrifice". The grand narrative used in writing the history of the Old Believers is analyzed also. It is considered how the culture of memory of the Russian Old Believers actualizes the political and ideological contradictions of society, actualizing collective historical traumas and images of the Other in the memorial spaces. It is shown that the model of the collective memory of the Old Believers stimulates the development of the politics of memory in a religiously-centric coordinate system, where the Church itself and its figures are imagined as the main participants in the historical process, becoming objects of memorial reflection and symbolic canonization in the identity of the Old Believers.

The Ukraine: Perspectives on Possibilities for the Future

The author looks into possible pathways to an international resolution of the conflict in the Ukraine. The current conflict in the Ukraine should be seen in the context of developments since the 1054 and the 1400s before the Treaty of Westphalia in the Western calendar. The current historical memory and collective consciousness of the Russians experienced over many years, can be found in the numerous betrayals from the West over a long time. Betrayals of which deep memories still linger and still influence Russian collective historical memory. These collections of socio-historical memories rest on brutal intervention/aggression from the West inflicted in history and cannot be ignored in the current loaded context. The rational way out is negotiations. There is no single sovereignty in Ukraine at stake here. The right to choose your sovereignty should be consistently applied to a divided Ukrainian people. People as a self-defined group, should be given the right to choose their political habitus and their future belonging. The wish for sovereignty has at least two sides and apply to the Eastern Ukraine. Conflict cannot solve the problem. Creative and far-sighted alternatives, even if it looks far-fetched, may well provide new opportunities for peace in the future.