Perception of Maidan: The Socioeconomic Foundations of Identity in Postmodern Society
3/2014
Forum AI
Ukraine and the Crisis of “Russian Studies”:
Participant Observation of History in the Making
SUMMARY:
Oleksiy Musiyezdov suggests that Euromaidan should be viewed as a “bourgeois revolution” driven by entrepreneurs and the creative class interested in self-realization within the context of global capitalism. While elaborating on this thesis, Musiyezdov reaches several important conclusions that far exceed the scope of his initial hypothesis. First, he notes that as a result of the Euromaidan revolution, the inclusive political concept of nation has taken over the exclusive, ethnocultural understanding of Ukrainness. Second, he observes the surge of social responsibility and initiative of citizens, as reflected in the volunteer movement, mutual assistance, and cooperation. Musiyezdov makes another important point in explaining the discontent in the Southeast regions of Ukraine that are most affected by separatist and counterrevolutionary attitudes and by the sociocultural trauma of structural deindustrialization in this former center of Ukraine’s industry.