A Ukrainian: between local identity and European citizenship

Donetsk is a city of contrasts and acute associations to Ukrainian national consciousness. It is a “city of a million roses” and dozens of garbage disposal sites; a city of miners, workers, and educated people; a city with an Orange soccer team and a white-and-blue political force; it is the birthplace of Stus and Artem; “the criminal capital”; and the driving force of the Ukrainian economy. Now Donetsk has become the latest destination of the Ostroh Club of Free Intellectual Communication for Youth.

The residents of Donetsk joined the club in January 2007, and in the person of Serhii Stukanov, a postgraduate student at Donetsk National University, they have become the most active participants of the latest meetings of the club. A meeting in Donetsk was just a matter of time. Despite a few organizational problems, a roundtable devoted to the complicated topic “A Ukrainian: between Local Identity and European Citizenship” took place on Nov. 27. However, the club’s visit to Donetsk started earlier.

It has become a tradition for the club’s members to familiarize themselves with the city in which the discussion will take place, learn about the local moods, and get a general picture of the oblast. A packed schedule of excursions and meetings was created on the eve of the club’s meeting. On Nov. 25 the participants of the Donetsk session commemorated the victims of the Holodomor at the Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration located in the center of Donetsk. On Monday, Nov. 26, a number of meetings with representatives of local civic organizations took place.

Tetiana Marmazova, the pro-rector of Donetsk National University and a member of the Donetsk City Council, gave a talk on Donetsk’s reality. The two-hour-long talk with this trained historian, who calls herself a “spiritual maximalist,” left interesting impressions and many aspects to contemplate. “It is in the nature of Donetsk residents to be involved in everything. But we don’t deserve the attitude toward us that was formed in Ukraine after 2004,” Marmazova noted.

The roundtable turned into a quest for personal identity on the part of the participants, and a number of questions were put to each of them. Who am I: a resident of Odesa or a Ukrainian? Who are we: residents of Kharkiv or residents of eastern Ukraine? What does identification with the notion “Ukrainian” mean for me: does it determine nationality or affiliation with a political nation? And finally: does our identity enable us to identify ourselves with European citizens? It is impossible to find answers for these complicated questions during a single gathering. It is even more difficult to find a common denominator — the personification of “I am Ukrainian” — for the representatives of all local and regional identities. However, according to the Ostroh Club’s firm conviction, any question will soon be answered. Does this mean that we will soon define who we are and where we should be going?

Serhii STUKANOV, postgraduate student in Philosophy, M.A. in History, Donetsk National University:

“First of all, I will say that the Ostroh Club stayed in Donetsk longer than in other Ukrainian cities, thanks to which, apart from the usual roundtable we managed to organize several interesting meetings. So, on Nov. 26 the participants of the club had a meeting with an activist from the Donetsk Oblast Youth Civic Organization Poshtovkh, which is helping to develop Ukrainian culture, language, and historical awareness in the Donetsk region. The same day we had a meeting with the head of the Scholarly-Information Center for International Security and Euro-Atlantic Cooperation at Donetsk National University, whose aim is to provide information about NATO.”

“On Nov. 27 the club visited the Donetsk Political Science Center and familiarized itself with the activity of the Donetsk Oblast branch of the National Civic Union of the Ukrainian Association of European Studies, which disseminates information about the European Union. The meeting with Dr. Marmazova, who is in charge of educational and social work and who told us about Donetsk National University, was also interesting.

“The roundtable was devoted to the problem of the identification priorities of residents from different Ukrainian regions. Taking into account the aim of the Ostroh Club, which is to help to find mutual understanding between “east” and “west” (I use these notions in quotations as symbols, because Odesa, the country’s geographic south, is also included in the former), the actualization of distinct features in understanding the “Ukrainian nature” in different parts of the state is an important stage on the way to developing a strategy to achieve the established goal.

“The final version of the topic grew out of the initial desire to discuss the state of affairs in the “east.” It is becoming increasingly obvious that Ukraine’s future will greatly depend on the position of this region’s population, first of all because of its importance and intellectual potential, which is often underestimated.

The roundtable was proof of the initial assumption that a large part of the population in eastern Ukraine (excluding the intelligentsia) still understands the term “Ukrainian” first and foremost in its ethnic, not political, sense. Hence, the defensive position of sympathizers of Russian identity becomes understandable when one speaks about Ukrainian self-awareness. In general, the discussion during the roundtable marked the direction where the efforts of the club members should be aimed (and not only theirs): the formation of Ukrainian political identity that will not contradict any ethnic or local notions but will include them.”

Daria VOROBIOVA, graduate of Karazin National University, Kharkiv:

“We were coming to Donetsk with certain expectations and associations. From my very first steps in Donetsk the idea came to me that this is in fact a small city: the small railway station resembles a suburban station; the small houses (mainly five-storey buildings or private homes). The saying ‘It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times’ worked best here.

“The Ostroh Club gathered again to continue its work, and this time we worked very fruitfully. We came to Donetsk in order to see everything with our own eyes, communicate with people, and try to erase the cliches that are imposed on us by everyone. Our main achievement from this meeting was to meet students from Donetsk National University, who (as it appears!) are patriots of their country and speak Ukrainian in the same way. It was pleasant for us to share views with those who have a contrary view of Ukrainian identity. But, as the saying goes, truth is born in controversy. We accomplished our main task: we saw everything with our own eyes, communicated with people, and arrived at the same conclusions as a year ago, when we met in Odesa (that was the first meeting within the club’s framework for the residents of Kharkiv). There is no controversy between right— and left-bank [Ukraine]; there is no hostility among the residents of Donetsk toward the residents of Ostroh. Each of us is a resident of a single country; each of us belongs to a single nation, and each of us in fact seeks one and the same thing: to be a successful country with a high level of development in all spheres.”

Yulia STUKANOVA, postgraduate student in Ukrainian History at Donetsk National University:

“What can be more conducive to overcoming the contrast between the west and east than having the residents of the east visit western Ukraine and vice versa? I have often heard students, young scholars from other oblasts (central and western Ukraine) saying strange things (strange to us residents of Donetsk), when they come to Donetsk to attend university conferences. For example, they admitted that they were afraid to take the Donbas train (the former Ugolek). Judging from everything, dense legends surround Donetsk and they need to be immediately disproved.

“In Donbas we sometimes hear similar assurances that nobody will sell anything to you or help you in the cities of western Ukraine if you speak Russian (I have never seen this sort of thing happening either in Lviv or Khmelnytsky when I was there!), as though this is the sole impression that a person gets after staying in Lviv (if such incidents ever took place or are simply third- hand statements from the early 1990s.) At such moments I had the impression that in certain cases this type of attack was nothing more than an attempt to find a common language, a search for points of mutual understanding between distantly acquainted people. I mean, sometimes people do not contemplate the stereotypes that they are transmitting; they hardly even think this way (or are imbued with these questions), and at this moment it is important to find topics that will make them feel more comfortable in a group.

“The cited examples prove that there is a need for the club’s activity. Consciousness and reality alter those young people who are better prepared for perceiving new ideas. We can be sure that those who visited Donetsk recently will help overcome the biased attitude and misinformation back home about this region. As one of the club’s participants said, ‘Ripples in the water will emerge.’ The same goes for ways of overcoming the stereotypes concerning other cities and regions of Ukraine.

“Communicating with a person from another (particularly ‘antagonistic’) region is much more important than it appears at first glance. When we have our own experience, we submit less to abstract ideological indoctrinations. Imposed labels, the stock in trade of politicians, are often transferred in a person’s consciousness onto the abstract notion of the whole nation or every resident of a region. Generalizations are harmful in such cases. Getting acquainted with one or several representatives of other regions make us return to real people, to understanding that people are not a gray mass, that every person is an individual with dreams and goals. On the other hand, our human desires are alike, after all.”

Ivan KAPSAMUN, fifth-year student at the Political Science Department at the Institute of Social Science, Mechnikov National University, Odesa:

“The Ostroh Club has entered Ukraine’s east: this is significant,’ said one of the participants and experts of the roundtable. This is the club’s latest gathering but the first one in Donetsk, and this is proving that the club is alive and expanding.

“I can say the following thing concerning the theme of the roundtable: there should be a strict division of three kinds of identity: local, national, and European. The local one is linked more to ethnic identity, to regional identity, and here in Ukraine one can distinguish many regions that are different from each other to a larger or smaller extent. But this also becomes a factor of development, since one can apply here the formula ‘unity in diversity,’ the development of each economic or historical region can help the general development of the country.

“National identity can be compared to the notion of ‘political nation,’ therefore it is a political identity, i.e., on this level everyone who lives in Ukraine can be called Ukrainians or ‘political Ukrainians.’ The state’s activity should be oriented to this very level, and it should not go lower — to the local level. The state should not adopt the separate position of one region, group, or force or another, but view these questions through the general-state prism.

“As for the question of European identity, Ukraine is a European state geographically, but if we take into account the question of European standards, life, and civilization, we cannot associate ourselves with Europeans. And one should not say that Ukraine’s entry into the European Union will abruptly change the situation; this issue should not be forced.

“For example, if you want to change someone or something, you have to start with yourself. The same thing happens with the country in general. Changes have to be made in Ukraine, starting from the historical, economic, and political factors of its development. The state should also deal with this question, but from the standpoint of the general-state’s benefit and development. Thus, each of the mentioned identities supplements the rest.”

Denys PODIACHEV, postgraduate student at Karazin National University, Kharkiv:

“The gathering in Donetsk was important for the Ostroh Club for a number of reasons. First, to some extent it marked our renaissance after a long-lasting interruption in our activity. Second, the meeting in Donetsk was the most anticipated one because earlier Donbas’s largest educational institution did not welcome us. Third, we had pinned our hopes on this very meeting in the cause of redefining the club’s further activity, because it is no secret that we had stressed the dilemma of the format of the organization’s further existence and activity.

“By the way, the club members want to become a civic organization in the nearest future, and our informal Donetsk sessions within the narrow circle of the club’s founders, which from now on is a presidium, were dedicated to the questions of a step-by-step move to a gradual realization of our ideas. Now I will probably stop unveiling our Napoleonic projects. I want to express my gratitude to our Donetsk participants, who managed to turn the meeting in the capital of Donbas into a reality, which until recently was a highly doubtful matter. We have learned to our great surprise that youth movements exist in Donetsk, which aim to dissolve the artificially created stereotypes about problems connected with Ukrainian society’s self-awareness as a political nation, which are inopportune and out-of-date. We will start our cooperation in a format that we will define later.”

“Unfortunately, the roundtable on the problem of identity in different regions of the country left an ambiguous impression. The not very moderate west did not produce the high expectations for the constructiveness of common opinion. However, I must mention the great interest of the students of Donetsk National University in the event that was organized with the club’s assistance, which is a rather good sign, in my opinion.”

Yulia DOVHAN, fifth-year student at the Political Science Department of the Institute of Social Sciences at Mechnykov National University, Odesa:

“I must admit that the visit to Donetsk was long-awaited, and getting acquainted with the legendary city was more than pleasant.

“It is clear that besides becoming familiarized with Donetsk, the Ostroh Club had an opportunity to get acquainted with a large number of intellectuals from this wonderful city. All these people possess a deep potential, which is first and foremost aimed at the development of our country, and although every one is going about his/her business, there is a common general goal.

“During the roundtable the main task was not to reach unanimity of opinion. Nevertheless, after considering the identification priorities of the residents of eastern, southern, or western Ukraine, a general verdict was pronounced: as citizens of a single country, we are the only ones who can and must care about its welfare, and identification controversies are mainly based on historical and regional specifics.

“In my opinion, this is neither bad nor good. These are facts that are a certain store of knowledge in the creation of a supranational political culture. An ancient philosopher once said that politics is the art of living together, and this saying has not lost its validity. The main task is to learn to live according to the principle that ‘different does not mean strange.’ To understand this, one has to proceed from the saying that one’s freedom ends where another one’s freedom starts. The Ukrainian nation’s self-awareness, despite the structure of one’s blood, should be based on this universal principle.”

THE DAY’S FACT FILE

The Ostroh Club of Free Intellectual Communication for Youth was founded by the students of the National University of Ostroh Academy and Mechnykov National University in Odesa on the initiative of The Day’s editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna. It has developed into an efficient organization whose aim is to unite young people from all parts of Ukraine. A year after the Ostroh Club was founded it was joined by representatives of Karazin National University in Kharkiv and Donetsk National University. Within a short period of time the members held five meetings in different Ukrainian cities, whose main aim is to hold discussions with the representatives of the region’s intellectual elites and encourage communication among club members.

The club is open to cooperation with social and political figures, students, and civic organizations, which see the need to overcome stereotypes and unite Ukraine.