IDENTITY IN MULTI-ETHNIC STATES: THE COLLECTIVE IMAGINARIES THAT UNITE - The transformation of the Ukrainian National Identity and the impacts of threats

Abstract

This thesis has studied how nation-building and identity formation better can be understood in settings where the conditions for these phenomena are not seen as self-evident. Identity is linked to how individuals understand themselves and their surroundings. In this research, the investigation has focused on the collective understanding of one’s identity, namely, the Ukrainian national identity. Ukraine is a multi-ethnic country that has faced several challenges when it comes to asserting its national identity and existence. As other macro-and regional discourses have been more prevailing, it has undoubtedly shifted the focus away from Ukraine. More recently, the attention has been turned back on Ukraine and its struggle to withstand Russia’s aggression war facing the nation. Therefore, Ukraine can be seen as a critical case to approach. By inductively applying an in-depth thematic analysis, the research has aimed to understand how Ukraine has been able to incorporate this variety of identity narratives into a more coherent and salient understanding of its national identity, substantially, where the thickening of civic boundaries and the trust in the people has proven to be vital in creating unity among the Ukrainians. Some concluding remarks that have been made out of the findings are that exposure to an external threat blurs particular identity layers and causes changes in attitudes. This has become particularly apparent as Ukrainians distanced themselves from the perceived threat. Instead, they have explicitly positioned themselves where the national identity is more in line with what the Ukrainian nation represents, a future distanced from its historical past and closer to Europe.