Українознавство (Sep 2019)
Specifics of Ethnocultural Relations between the Ukrainian Diaspora and Ukraine in the Period from the Mid-1980s to the Mid-1990s
Abstract
The article analyzes the peculiarities of ethnocultural relations between Ukraine and its diaspora in the period from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. It is theoretically substantiated that relations between Ukraine and the diaspora were altering from sporadic contacts, subordinate to the totalitarian administrative-command system, to the systematic and comprehensive, mutually beneficial cooperation on a democratic basis. It is revealed that, as a result of these relations, a common ethnocultural space was formed, contributing to the preservation and development of the Ukrainian identity and the complex of ethnocultural relations. Ethnocultural changes that occurred during the critical period of the USSR’s collapse and the new problems which Ukraine faced at that turning point of its development are traced. It is proved that during that period the Ukrainian diaspora contributed to solving both internal and external problems of Ukraine. Ukraine’s relations with the diaspora in all key areas of ethnocultural relations are considered. Two main stages of ethnocultural and political development of the state are distinguished: 1985–1991 and 1991–1995. It is found that after Ukraine had gained independence, its relations with the diaspora radically changed. Those shifts took place in all areas of the Ukrainian ethnocultural space. It is shown that during the first stage, Ukraine’s contacts with representatives of the diaspora were sporadic and took place only under the direct supervision and tight control of the Soviet special services. In the time of political repressions, linguistic and cultural Russification of Ukraine, its national elite was forced to follow the instructions of the Communist Party of the USSR. Ukrainians outside Ukraine were also threatened by ethnocultural assimilation, thus uniting in spiritual, cultural, and religious senses worldwide. During the second stage, i.e. after the declaration of independence, the above mentioned relations underwent significant transformations. This was testified by the emergence of a common ethnocultural space, in which the efforts of the representatives of Ukraine and the diaspora in combating the consequences of the forced assimilation and serving the emergence of a strong and free country were combined.
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