Nexus of Religion, Ethnicity, and Geopolitics – A Case of Geopolitical Fault-Line Cities in Eastern Ukraine Cover Image

Nexus of Religion, Ethnicity, and Geopolitics – A Case of Geopolitical Fault-Line Cities in Eastern Ukraine
Nexus of Religion, Ethnicity, and Geopolitics – A Case of Geopolitical Fault-Line Cities in Eastern Ukraine

Author(s): Oleksiy Gnatiuk, Kostyantyn Mezentsev, Grygorii Pidgrushnyi
Subject(s): Politics, Social Sciences, Governance, Sociology
Published by: EUROREG - Uniwersytet Warszawski, Regional Studies Association - Sekcja Polska
Keywords: religious split; geopolitical fault-line cities; identity; ethnicity; geopolitics; Ukraine

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the interrelationships between religious attitudes, ethnic and linguistic identities, and geopolitical preferences in three geopolitical fault-line cities in Eastern Ukraine – Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Dnipro. The research is based on data taken from a survey and the associated descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The findings suggest that the religious divide in Eastern Ukraine does not generate additional division but instead strengthens the existing divide, which is known to be formulated in terms of geopolitical as opposed to language or ethnicity-based categories, although language and ethnicity do have an influence on geopolitical preferences. Moreover, civic-national identity appears to be more relevant than ethnic-national identity to understanding the religious fault-line in Eastern Ukraine.

  • Issue Year: 24/2023
  • Issue No: 91
  • Page Range: 56-70
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: English, Polish