Nationality in Ukraine: Some Rules of Engagement
Nationality in Ukraine: Some Rules of Engagement
Author(s): Oxana ShevelSubject(s): Political history, Government/Political systems, Politics and society, Social differentiation, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Period(s) of Nation Building, Post-Communist Transformation, Sociology of Politics, Identity of Collectives
Published by: SAGE Publications Ltd
Keywords: Ukraine; nationality; collapse of Soviet Union; postcommunist transformation; building modern nation; ethnic and linguistic diversity;
Summary/Abstract: Although the fall of empires gives rise to states, it need not create nations. The collapse of the Soviet Union 10 years ago did not instantly transform citizens of its successor states into members of nations. As in other postimperial settings, in post-Soviet Ukraine the modern nation is built, or not. The question of Ukrainian nationbuilding deserves the attention it draws from social scientists. Described as "the West of the East or the East of the West," and straddling the faultline between Muscovy and Poland-Lithuania, Ukraine was partitioned among empires, and stood at the crossroads of various religious and cultural influences. In today's Ukraine we perceive ethnic and linguistic diversity, a poor match to modern national ideals where "state borders confine linguistic communities, and the languages of speech, politics, and worship are one and the same." In Ernest Gellner's terms, it is not at all obvious that the Ukrainian political and the national units are "congruent." [...]
Journal: East European Politics and Societies
- Issue Year: 16/2002
- Issue No: 02
- Page Range: 386-413
- Page Count: 28
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF