The National Identity of Ukraine

 

When we think of the identity of the United States, what do we think of? The flag, a bald eagle, maybe George Washington or the White House. Some might also say how this country is a melting pot of different cultures, yet we are all proud to be American. It is easy for us to come up with examples that unite the citizens of our country, but what about other countries? Ukraine has not had as much of a straight forward history as the United States. Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 (Ukraine Profile- Timeline, 2020), leaving the nation to question what it means to be Ukrainian, and what their national identity really is.

To conceptualize what makes Ukraine’s identity unique, we must first understand what national identity really means. This is a complicated concept because everyone comes from an unique background and history. As Hobsbawn (1996) stated “The concept of a single, exclusive, and unchanging ethnic or cultural or other identity is a dangerous piece of brainwashing.” (p. 1069). To simplify an individual to one identity in their country is not a good representation of the individual or country as a whole. For example, if citizens of the United States were to be narrowed down to “Christian” or “English speaking”, this would not shed light to the diversity that is in America. When I was trying to define national identity for myself, I thought that language may be a uniting factor inside a country, since nations normally have a national language. This idea of mine was challenged by Hobsbawn (1996) in “Language, Culture, and Identity”. He pointed out that a country having uniformity in language had never been important until the citizens needed to be able to understand and partake in government (p. 1067). This instituted national languages because citizens needed to be able to comprehend messages from the government, and uniformity in schools. So what can citizens of a country share in identity if it's not religion or language? National pride and loyalty. National loyalty can be shown through celebrating the independence day of the country, embracing and respecting differences inside one’s own country, striving for unity, and recognizing the culture and history of one’s country. Eurovision is a great example of what national identity is. Countries are able to portray a part of their culture in three minutes, or spread a message of their nation’s beliefs. Jamala’s win in 2016 for Ukraine is a perfect example of expressing national identity and history, with a song that talked about the history of Crimean Tatars with firsthand experience. 

National identity is about taking pride in one’s country, but still some countries struggle with being able to to define a cohesive identity. Ukraine’s complicated history and relationship with the Soviet Union has made it difficult to solidify as a country. In 1921, Russian conquered two-thirds of Ukraine, and the last third was claimed by Poland. During this time, Ukrainian language and culture was heavily suppressed by the Soviets leading to more Soviet leading culture and values in the country. During World War II, Ukraine faced horrible famines and many deaths fighting the Germans, and the execution of Ukrainian Jews. In 1944, Stalin accused Crimean Tatars of collaborating with Nazis, and deported them to Central Asia and Siberia. The Crimeans were unjustly removed from their land on false accusations which caused a lot of distress for families in Ukraine. This is an important part of identity for many Ukrainians today because their families have been separated unfairly. In 1991, Ukraine claimed its independence from the Soivet Union, and because of this 250,000 Crimean Tatars returned home to Ukraine (Ukraine Profile- Timeline, 2020). Almost twenty years later in 2014, Russian forces invaded and took control of Crimea, trapping Ukrainian families in the now-Russian state. This annex is still in place today. The complicated history and mixed identities of Ukraine has made it difficult to unite as a country. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has attempted to identify aspects of the nation that unite Ukraine. In his New Year’s speech, he tried to spark pride in being Ukranian, “we destroyed stereotypes. For example, it is impossible to make good roads in Ukraine. This myth went in all four directions on all 4,000 km of new roads” (Zelenskyy, 2021). Although this may seem insignificant to some, it shows how successes of a country can unite citizens who may feel like they have nothing in common. It doesn’t matter if a citizen speaks Ukrainian or Russian, or they are from Crimean, they can take pride in Ukraine's accomplishments of successfully building bridges or fixing hospitals in 2020. Although Ukraine is still working towards finding their core national identity, they are trying to move their values to reflect Western ideas and European countries. Ukraine is hopeful to join the European Union in the future, and are working towards meeting the standards and values to be considered for membership. This would help them separate the country from their past ties to Russia and the Soivet Union that they are trying to break away from, and create a unique sense of identity. 

Ukraine trying to separate from their past with the Soivet Union perfectly explains what significant others are and Ukraine’s relationship with Russia. Significant others are groups that influence the development of a country due to their threatening presence (Triandafyllidou, 1998). Russia is Ukraine’s main significant other because they have pushed Ukraine to separate from their past Soivet values and history and embrace Western ideas. Ukraine’s significant other has further challenged the identity of the country with the ongoing battle for Crimea. Fighting for the region has forced Ukraine to embrace Crimea and the cultural significance the region holds for the country. 

Russia does pose as a significant other, but Russians inside Ukraine are also on part that complicates Ukrainian identity. According to the “Three Ukraine” Model by Wilson, there are three different types of beliefs Ukrainians may hold about the national identity of the country (Korostelina, 2014). These three models include “reformists who lead toward European and US values, communists who lean towards Russian identity, centrist who are a mix” (Korostelina, 2014). Ukrainians that identify as Russian and communist values are an external significant other. While the Ukrainian government seeks to move toward democracy and European values, this group fights for their belief system and to have a better relationship with Russia. This group can be identified as an external significant other because they are a still a majority group in the country, but are seeking change inside Ukraine. On the other hand, there are also internal significant other groups in Ukraine. A perfect example is Crimean Tatars that are still in Ukraine (not in their historical homeland currently occupied by Russia). They are an ethnic and religious group inside the country, but do not pose any threat to Ukraine. 

The complicated identities of Ukrainians citizens that have varying loyalties to Ukraine and Russia has been means for Othering, especially in the use of language. In 2020 it was reported that 67.5% of the population spoke Ukrainian, and 29.6% spoke Russian, yet it has only ever been recognized as a regional language (Ukraine Profile- Timeline, 2020). The Ukrainian government has pushed to expel Russian culture from the country by refusing to make Russian an official language and not allowing it to be used in schools or government institutions (Ukraine Profile- Timeline, 2020). This has been their effort to make Russia seen as an “other” since their culture and values will not fit inside of Ukraine. 

Although Ukraine is still working towards solidifying their national identity, there are still aspects that define them. Their capital city Kiev continues to stand strong as a symbol of success in Ukraine, citizens take pride in being a phoenix rising from ashes after much devastation in the 20th century. President Zelenskyy is determined to unite the country by building a future for the children of Ukraine. Although Ukraine’s history is complicated and still developing while fighting with Russia, it is what defines the national identity of the country and makes it unique.

-chaydon

Works Cited:

HOBSBAWN, E. (1996). Language, Culture, and National Identity. Social Research, 63(4), 1065-1080. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40971324

Korostelina, K. (2014). Conflict of National Narratives of Ukraine: Euromaidan and Beyond. Die Friedens-Warte, 89(1/2), 269-290. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24868496

President Zelenskyy addresses Ukrainians on New Years. (2021, January 1). 112 Ukraine, Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://112.international/ukraine-top-news/president-zelensky-addresses-ukrainians-on-new-year-57790.html

Ukraine profile- Timeline. (2020, March 5). BBC News, Retrieved January 28, 2021 from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18010123.