Nation-building In Ukraine Research Articles

Religion in the Process of Nation-Building in Ukraine: Case Study on the UGCC and Military Chaplaincy

Priests of various faiths have tried to accompany Ukrainian soldiers as military chaplains since the very beginning of the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Finally, the Ukrainian parliament regularized the status of the military chaplaincy adopting a relevant law. Analyzing the process of shaping the chaplaincy allows us to better understand the place of religious communities and religion itself in the social life of post-Soviet Ukraine. It also allows for an examination of the nation-building process from a different and very interesting perspective. The article consists of three parts. The first one briefly presents the process of institutionalizing the military service of priests in Ukraine. In the next part, the significance of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s (UGCC) special activity in the field of military chaplaincy is demonstrated. The third part attempts to explain the reasons why the UGCC, despite a number of objective limitations, plays the leading role in the sphere of chaplaincy in Ukraine.

Актуальные проблемы и перспективы украинского национального строительства

The article examines the problem of formation of ethnic boundaries in the process of nation-building in Ukraine and the role of memory politics in this process. The analysis is carried out on a theoretical and methodological basis, including research of the theory of the nation and nationalism, issues of ethnicity, imperial issues, memory policy and historical policy in the post-Soviet space. The efforts of Ukraine to implement the policy of memory, its origins and prerequisites are analyzed. The natural character and direction of this activity, conditioned by the specifics of nation-building in the imperial and Soviet periods, is shown. The main directions, elements, and means of implementing the policy of memory are aimed at forming the foundations of the Ukrainian nation, tearing it off from historical Russia and aiming at spreading Russophobic mythology. Special attention is paid to historical politics as a tool for reforming mass consciousness and implanting Ukrainian identity. The researched factual material made it possible to draw several conclusions about the consequences of the implementation of the memory policy. In particular, after decommunization the theme of decolonization gains increasing importance in Ukraine, being aimed at an even more radical division of the Russian and Ukrainian ethnic groups, of their common historical heritage. In general, the politics of memory may be regarded as an important condition and tool for constructing a new border between Russia and Ukraine.

Citizenship as a cornerstone of civic national identity in Ukraine

ABSTRACT Nation-building has been an important and often complicated process in countries like Ukraine, which emerged from ethno-federal communist systems. In Ukraine, a civic approach to national identity has gained support since 2013, but it exists alongside a more ethnic Ukrainian–focused view of national identity. This article focuses on a central element of civic national identity in Ukraine: citizenship. Survey data from both closed-ended and open-ended questions are used to gauge the appeal of a citizenship-based identity and the reasons that respondents view citizenship as an important part of who they are. The results point to a strong connection to citizenship as an identity, and to patterns about which groups of people claim citizenship as an important part of their identity and why. The findings indicate that, if and when a more civic-oriented identity becomes the predominant approach to nation-building in Ukraine, citizenship will be a central part of the process.

Культурний релятивізм та етноцентризм в українському націотворчому дискурсі

The article considers the problematic issues of national self-identification in Ukraine. The study analyzes current topics of cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, nation-building in Ukraine everywhere through the prism of prognostic ideas of Ukrainian scientists, philosophers, culturologists, historians, ethnologists. As a result of the conducted scientific research the forecast which testifies to considerable potential of the Ukrainian philosophical and culturological school is made.

Cultural Diplomacy as ‘Communication Bridge-Building’ Between Ukraine and Japan

The article examines the history of Ukrainian-Japanese cultural relations, the development of cultural diplomacy in Ukraine and Japan, the major points in the positioning of the Ukrainian state in the Land of the Rising Sun and vice versa as well as further prospects for cooperation in this area. In spite of the geographical remoteness of our country from Japan and the thorny history of nation-building in Ukraine, Ukrainian-Japanese contacts trace their origins as early as the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which laid an essential foundation for their development during Ukraine’s independence. The author states that at the current stage both countries have managed to forge a ‘communication bridge’ thanks to fruitful cooperation in implementing cultural, humanitarian, educational, and sports projects. It is noted that the rapid development of cultural and public diplomacy in Ukraine, the institutionalisation of this area of activity at the national level as well as the introduction of budgetary programmes for putting into practice cultural projects open up additional opportunities for ensuring a more comprehensive presentation of Ukraine in Japan. In this regard, the establishment of the Ukrainian Institute and the adoption of its development strategy for 2020–24 providing for its functioning in Japan is viewed as a momentous occasion. The author draws attention to the fact that holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and the presentation of Ukraine within the Cultural Olympiad are a unique pretext for realising these plans. Given the spread of coronavirus, it is proposed to ensure the organisation of not only traditional but also online events with a view to presenting Ukraine’s tourist potential and promoting its positive image in Japan. Keywords: cultural diplomacy, Ukraine, Japan, Ukrainian-Japanese cultural relations, public diplomacy, Ukrainian Institute, Tokyo, Olympic Games.

The image of Ukraine in journalism in 20-30 years of the XX century: the national dimension

Introduction. The study was inspired by the desire to comprehend the process of nation-building in Ukraine in the first decades of the twentieth century, which emerged on the basis of socio-political, historical, social and cultural factors, the identification of constructive impulses of the mentally-helpless duality of the psychology of the Ukrainian movement and the ideological exhaustion and non-viability of political doctrines that were existing at that time. The purpose of the article is to study the image of Ukraine in the journalism of Dmitry Dontsov in the nationalistic aspect. Research methods. The dominant methods of research were hermeneutics (mostly the method of national and philosophical interpretation) and post-colonialism. With the help of them, the problem of the philosophy of national existence was interpreted and the phenomenon of the national-centered methodology of thinking was outlined, Dontsov’s understanding of beauty in journalism and literature has been updated. As a result of the work, it was determined that characters build a certain structure of foundations, which allows to test and study existential modes that destroy or, conversely, update, change the national coexistence. Alienation, separation, loneliness, indifference, tolerance, avoidance, humiliation are defective negative modes, which are opposed by the positive, author’s literary modes of national liberation struggle (disaster, faith, will, repentance, irony, glory, dream, earth, sun, share, hut, sea). On the basis of the practice of interpreting the modes of human existence, D. Dontsov unfolds a large-scale fantasy of the crippled current existence of Ukrainians, who are guilty of it themselves. The spectacles of a terrible catastrophe, hell, apocalyptic poetics, and symbolism, like a flash, multiply rapidly spiritual, and, hence, national devastation. Dontsov’s generalization of Shevchenko’s picture of the world is an exhortation to return to their own national independence, because of days and nights “pass”. The threatening figures of I. Pidkova and T. Tryasyla are disappearing, and Ukraine plunges into an inevitable spiritual and historical gap. Therefore the essayist visually reproduced the existential images of Shevchenko’s universe are transmitted not only to “save” the poet – it is an impetus for the salvation of the nation. It is clear that, as if from a first glance, the sufficiently approved theme of Ukraine, which finds its brightest expression in the work of both Ukrainian and world publicists, is realized absolutely in a new way in the portfolio of Dmitry Dontsov. This topic is expressed in a new and modern way, given the need for the more active involvement of D. Dontsov’s national-centric heritage in contemporary humanitarian work, in order to counteract the abusive strategies and practices of cultural imperialism and cosmopolitanism, in particular in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Keywords: journalism, the image of Ukraine, the national philosophical aspect

COSSACK ARMED ACTIONS IN THE 20-30s OF THE XVIITH CENTURY – LOST CHANCE TO REFORM RZECHPOSPOLITA

The article analyses the Cossack armed actions in the 20-30's of the XVIIth century as the lost chance to reform Rzechpospolita and transform it into a powerful state of the three peoples – Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian. It has been found out that after the establishment of Rzechpospolita in 1569 and due to the intergovernmental union of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Ukrainian Cossacks considerably strengthened over the 50 years and became a powerful factor of influence in socio-political and interstate relations of that time. It has been established that at the beginning the Cossacks, conscious of their strength and combat ability, tried to peacefully negotiate with the authorities of Rzechpospolita. Nonetheless after the authorities abandoned a constructive dialogue they began recalcitrance actions, which subsequently turned into bloodthirsty uprisings. The conclusions of the paper state that the Cossack armed actions in the 20-30's of the XVIIth century played a decisive role in Ukrainian ethnic, ethno-cultural, state-building and nation-building processes, but they did not contribute to the reform of Rzechpospolita. In the first quarter of the XVIIth century due to P. Sagaidachny the evolutionary development dominated in the national state formation. In the second quarter of the same century revolutionary means of the Ukrainians (Rus’ians, Rusyns) state and nation formation prevailed. Those were armed actions, military confrontation between the Cossacks and the Polish authorities, the Rus’s magnates and their accomplices, including part of the registered Cossacks, as the main stratum of the social life in the Dnieper region in the second quarter of the XVIIth century. We firmly believe that the Ukrainian Cossacks were the main facilitators and the driving force of the state and nation-building in Ukraine, which ultimately caused the rebellion led by Khmelnitsky and the formation of the Ukrainian Cossack-Hetman State (Hetmanate), which in turn became the underlying ground for the Ukrainians in their heroic struggle for preservation of ethnic identity, restoration of their statehood and formation of a political nation from the end of the XVIIth and to the beginning of the XXIst century.

Ukraine: the Radical Solution of the Nation-Building’s Problem

The article is devoted to the problem of nation building in Ukraine. After 1991 Ukrainian political elite is forced to preserve the status quo and maneuver between the practice of constructing supra-ethnic community in the form of the nation-state or in the form of the empire. The coup d’état proceeded in Ukraine in February 2014 and further confrontation demonstrate a commitment of elite groups to the line of the nation-state building in its radical form. The execution of the chosen line is only possible by force of ethno-nationalism and ethnic cleansing.

Holidays and Nation-Building in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus: Focused on Victory Day

Holidays and Nation-Building in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus: Focused on Victory Day

No Longer Just Peasants and Priests: The Most Recent Studies on Nation Building in Nineteenth-Century Ukraine

The article provides an overview of the most recent scholarship on nation building in Ukraine during the long nineteenth century. One of the most important tendencies is the rise of what might be called the neo- or post-statist paradigm that underlines the relevance of early modern legacies for nineteenth-century activism and qualifies the image of Ukraine as a typical East and Central European, non-historical nation. As a result, the emphasis has shifted from the Austrian to the Russian Empire. Also, these new studies tend to pay much more attention to the transnational and entangled qualities of politics in nineteenth-century Ukraine. Nevertheless, contributions focusing on the ‘non-historical-nation’ aspects of the question still bring important insights and cannot be disregarded. The liminal position of Ukraine makes it especially well suited to serve as a testing ground for some received wisdoms about European nation building in general. Apart from considering the limitations of and the possible gains from present-day scholarship, the article offers some thoughts on how the political-military crisis might impact the study of Ukrainian nation building in the future.

Dilemmas of state-led nation building in Ukraine

Introduction: Debating the Assumption of State Led Nation-Building in Ukraine by Paul D'Anieri The Nation-building Project in Ukraine and Identity: Towards a Consensus by Taras Kuzio Rewriting and Rethinking: Contemporary Historiography and Nation-Building in Ukraine by Georgii Kasianov Culture and Cultural Politics in Ukraine: A Post-Colonial Perspective by Mykola Riabchuk Mass Attitudes and Ethnic Conflict in Ukraine by Craig A. Weller The Internal-External Nexus in the Formation of Ukrainian National Identity: The Case for Slavic Integration Region, Language, and Nationality: Rethinking Support in Ukraine for Maintaining Distance From Russia by Lowell W. Barrington Nation-Building in the Ukrainian Military by Andrew Fesiak Identity Construction and Education: The History of Ukraine in Soviet and Post-Soviet Schoolbooks by Jan G. Janmaat Conclusion: Regionalism and Nation-Building in a Divided Society by Nancy Popson Index

Identity and Nation-Building in Ukraine

National identity is forged and defined through a dual process of stressing the similarities of the in-group (the ‘Self’) and its differences with those outside the political community (the ‘Others’). The need to define the in-group as different becomes more compelling when the ‘significant Other’ denies the authenticity of the in-group and seeks to subvert its separate existence, as in the Ukrainian–Russian case. This article places the Ukrainian–Russian relationship within discussions of national identity, culture and ‘Otherness’ by examining how Ukraine's ruling elites hold no consensus over how to relate to the ‘significant Other’ (Russia). The ruling elites hail from the centrist and centre-right camps and are attempting to create a new national identity outside Eurasia. But, they remain divided over whether Russia is part of Europe and how to return to Europe. The left, meanwhile, see Europe as the ‘Other’ and Russia as the successor state to the former USSR. Therefore, no dominant view of Russia as the ‘Other’ exists in Ukraine and the article discusses the attitudes of the four main political groups (nationalists, the centre-right, centrists and the left) towards Russia and Russians as ‘Others’ within domestic and foreign policy discourse. How Ukraine relates to the Russian ‘Other’ will both affect the domestic nation-building project in Ukraine by helping or hindering the integration of its Russian minority, as well as having repercussions upon how Russia redefines its identity in the post-Soviet era.

National identity in independent Ukraine: An identity in transition

The article discusses the legacies of external domination and totalitarianism upon nation building in post‐Soviet Ukraine. Nation building in Ukraine is placed within a historical context showing how many of the features which are found in contemporary Ukraine existed during earlier periods in other countries. The article argues against the view that language should be perceived as the key ‐ if the only ‐ marker of national identity in Ukraine. Instead, it explores other elements of national identity in Ukraine to show how nation building is developing. Russian‐speaking Ukrainians, therefore, should not be regarded as ‘disloyal’ to Ukrainian independence and are not supporters of pro‐Russian separatism, a view often held within the academic community.