The new collective volume "Ukraine's Many Faces: Land, People and Culture Revisited", edited by Olena Palko and Manuel Férez Gil is aimed at readers from diverse backgrounds. This volume approaches the history of Ukraine and its people from the early modern period to the present through primary sources, conversational pieces, essays, and analytical articles.
Among the contributions to the section on "Sovereignty regained: Ukraine in Posl-Soviet Age", the readers will find a piece by Anna Chebotarova (UiO, VALREF project member). In her article "Society in Turbulent Times: The Impact of War on Ukraine", the author explores the effects the ongoing war - both protracted military conflict since 2014 and the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022 – has so far had on Ukrainian society and the public opinion. The author argues that Russian aggression has caused Ukrainians to redefine their national identity on three main pillars: the rejection of the "Russian world," belief in an impeding victory of Ukraine and a brighter post-war future, and aspirations to integrate with the West. Societal unity in the face of aggression has been unprecedented and persistent, but internal cleavages may reemerge as the human and economic toll of war continues to grow.
The volume is available to download open-access at the Transcript Publishing House website.