1. Identity and Nation-Building in Ukraine: Reconciliation of Identities from a Conflict Prevention Perspective
- Author:
- Nina Henke
- Publication Date:
- 01-2021
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- European Centre for Minority Issues
- Abstract:
- In less than 20 years after gaining its independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine has faced several events, which have shaped the process of nation-building. The Euromaidan, the annexation of Crimea and the armed conflict with Russia have intensified the ‘us–them’ line of self-identification of the “Ukrainians” versus the “Others”. Ongoing “Ukrainisation” is spreading insecurity among minority groups and endangers possibilities to establish a cohesive Ukrainian society with a shared sense of belonging. In the context of a multicultural Ukrainian space and the international commitments of the State to protect and promote rights of its national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, adopting an ethnocentric approach to the nation-building of the country is a conflict-prone factor. By examining and discussing identities in the perspective of the ongoing nation-building process in Ukraine, this research paper aims to identify the potential of the State and individuals to find mechanisms and grounds for reconciliation and integration. This is approached through a series of in-depth interviews and a complex analysis of current political guidelines on education, language and decommunisation.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Nationalism, Minorities, Ethnicity, Conflict, State Building, and Identity
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Ukraine