Ukraine
The Search for a National Identity
Sharon L Wolchik editor Volodymyr Zviglyanich editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield
Published:24th Nov '99
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This comprehensive book focuses on the challenges facing Ukraine as a newly emerged state after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Like all countries with no recent history of independence, Ukraine had to invent or recreate effective political institutions, reintroduce a market economy, and reorient its foreign policy. These tasks were impossible to accomplish without resolving the question of national identity. In this balanced and clear-eyed assessment, a team of U.S. and Ukrainian specialists explores the external and internal dimensions of national identity and statehood, providing a wealth of information previously unavailable to Western scholars. Arguing that the search for national identity is a multidimensional process, the authors show that it reflects the realities of the dawning twenty-first century. Paradoxically, this quest must cope with the both the weakening of state boundaries caused by globalization and the strengthening of the national model as new countries emerge from the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. After providing the historical context of Ukraine’s international debut, the book analyzes the complexities of constructing a national identity. The authors explore questions of ethnic relations and regionalism, the development of political values and attitudes, mass-elite relations, the cultural background of economic strategies, gender issues, and the threat of organized crime to emergent civil society.
If someone were to look for a concise and comprehensive book on contemporary Ukraine, this edited volume would be a contender number one. The articles are well-researched and solidly argumented, and the book overall conveys an evenly strong impression. The book makes an excellent reading overall. The editors did an admirable work of securing contributions from recognised authorities in the field, fitting these contributions together and emphasising those points that had to be emphasised. The book will become a valuable working tool for both scholars and policy makers involved with transitional societies of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. -- Mikhail A. Molchanov, University of Victoria, Canada * Ethnic and Racial Studies *
This volume is a useful area studies introduction to Ukraine. * International Affairs *
Fifteen well-written and informed essays. . . . For general readers, undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers. * CHOICE *
In this balanced assessment, a team of specialists explores the external and internal dimensions of national identity and statehood, arguing that the creation of a post-Soviet Ukrainian national identity is a multidimensional process. . . . An excellent collection. . . . Well-argued and well-written. * Slavic Review *
The book provides a good, general review of Ukraine's domestic and foreign politics. * Canadian Slavonic Papers *
An excellent volume that skillfully illuminates contemporary Ukraine in light of national identity formation. The authors—who hail from the United States and Ukraine—reveal how Ukraine's multiple identities and divided loyalties affect a broad range of internal and external problem areas. The articles are theoretically sophisticated, empirically grounded, and of relevance to scholars and policymakers alike. -- Alexander J. Motyl, Rutgers University-Newark
It is an important addition to any library's steadily expanding Ukrainian Studies shelf. * Seer *
ISBN: 9780847693467
Dimensions: 231mm x 149mm x 18mm
Weight: 442g
336 pages