The Role of Decommunization and Decolonization in the Formation of National Identity: the Case of Mykolaiv

Abstract

The purpose of the research paper is to explore the role of decommunization and decolonization processes in the formation of national identity under conditions of generational change (based on the materials of the city of Mykolaiv).

Scientific novelty. The paper represents an original attempt to examine the processes of decommunization and decolonization through the prism of generational change, drawing on J. Ortega y Gasset’s ‘spiritual and historical theory of generations’, using the case of Mykolaiv. In preparing the article, the authors analyzed the activities of various compositions of the Mykolaiv toponymic commission, used data on the renaming of urban toponyms, and developed an original periodization of events.

Conclusions. The authors interpret the processes of decommunization and decolonization as a struggle between Ukrainian and Soviet (Russian) identities. At the same time, these processes unfold within the context of intergenerational transformation in Ukraine. The older generation retains certain traits of Soviet identity, such as the expectation that problems will be resolved by the authorities or external forces. By contrast, the younger generation embodies a new identity characterized by pragmatism, freedom of belief and behavior, and a critical, even nihilistic, attitude toward the Soviet legacy. More broadly, Ukraine is currently experiencing a crisis of national identity, partly shaped by the influence of regional specificities.

The presence of a significant number of carriers of Soviet identity within Ukrainian society has hindered the full implementation of decommunization. Nevertheless, the process has contributed to dismantling stereotypes and prejudices that previously fueled separatist sentiments and impeded national consolidation.

The processes of decommunization and decolonization in Mykolaiv were somewhat different from similar events in Ukraine, and accordingly, have their own periodization: Stage 1 (1989-1990s) – decommunization and reversion to imperial narratives. Stage 2 (2014-2016) – decommunization. Stage 3 (2022 – up to the present) – decolonization.

It will require time, and perhaps even a complete generational turnover, for the processes of decommunization and decolonization to transform Soviet identity into a Ukrainian one within the symbolic realm. The authors express the hope that these processes will become the foundation for the formation of a national identity grounded in Ukrainian markers of historical memory.

Funding. The article was prepared within the framework of the international Erasmus+ project under the Jean Monnet Module “Implementation of European values as a basis of democracy in Ukraine” (EVADEM – 101085843 – ERASMUS-JMO-2022-MODULE).