Euromaidan as a Key Factor in the Transformation of the Ukrainian National Narrative and Social Perception of Ideological Innovations

Abstract

Euromaidan marked the beginning of a new period in the post-Soviet history of Ukraine and led to significant political changes. The article reveals the ideological meaning of Euromaidan and its influence on the Ukrainian national narrative and collective memory. Memory laws, the national calendar of holidays, and commemorative dates that were established or transformed after the events of 2013–2014, also known as the Revolution of Dignity, were used as primary sources for this study. Social perception of the ideological transformation of Ukraine is studied on the basis of oral sources—interviews with Ukrainians conducted in 2022–2023. The methodological basis of the study derives from the approach of Pierre Nora, proposed in the book Les lieux de mémoire (Sites of memory). Euromaidan is seen as a “site of memory” for the Ukrainian nation. When analyzing memory laws, the works of Nikolay Koposov and Georgiy Kasianov are used as a methodological tool. The changes in collective memory caused by Euromaidan have several aspects: decommunization, a shift of the national narrative “to the right,” and the formation of new symbols. The analysis of these aspects helps to reveal the nature of the Ukrainian political regime that emerged in 2014, as well as the ideological roots of the sentiments that spread after Euromaidan. The article examines the cultural appropriation by Ukrainians of some far-right symbols, such as Stepan Bandera’s slogan, “Glory to Ukraine, Glory to the Heroes!” In fact, Ukrainians’ reasoning and explanations call into question the assumptions about their right-wing, nationalist sentiments. The article shows how important the legacy of Euromaidan is for the formation of the resistance of the Ukrainian nation in the current military confrontation with Russia.

Article in Russian