The (Re)construction of Ukrainian Identity During Revolutions

Abstract

Ukrainians define their identity on their own terms, an approach that has underpinned the Revolution of Dignity and continues to shape the ongoing resilience against Russian blatant aggression. This study focuses on investigating the pivotal role of revolutions – the 2004 Orange Revolution and particularly the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity – in mobilising the (re)construction of Ukrainian collective memory, education, and religion. Identity’s malleable nature comes to light during revolts and exposes historical contestations that demonstrate Ukraine’s contested identity. The process of identity formation is not flawless. Ukraine’s case demonstrates the importance of embracing the “messy” process because it exposes moments of cohesion in nation-building. Statues, street art, school history textbooks and history classrooms, and sacred places capture Ukraine’s attempts at reviving Ukrainian national distinctiveness, but not without contention. Guided by collected empirical data (photographs, interviews, school history textbooks), this dissertation utilises an in-depth approach (visual analysis, thick description, semiotic analysis) to investigating and analysing the role of civil society, elites, teachers, and religious actors in reshaping Ukrainian identity during and following revolutions. The findings in this study contribute to contextualising the source of Ukraine’s bravery and resilience, which has captured global attention following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Revolution of Dignity was a defining moment for many aspects of Ukrainian identity, including the presence of self-determination and resilience.