In early 2014, sparked by an assault by their government on peaceful students, Ukrainians rose up against a deeply corrupt, Moscow-backed regime. Initially demonstrating under the banner of EU integration, the Maidan protesters proclaimed their right to a dignified existence; they learned to organize, to act collectively, to become a civil society. Most prominently, they established a new Ukrainian identity: territorial, inclusive, and present-focused with powerful mobilizing symbols. Driven by an urban bourgeoisie that rejected the hierarchies of industrial society in favor of a post-modern heterarchy, a previously passive post-Soviet country experienced a profound social revolution that generated new senses: Dignity and fairness became rallying cries for millions. Europe as the symbolic target of political aspiration gradually faded, but the impact (including on Europe) of Ukraines revolution remained. When Russia invaded -- illegally annexing Crimea and then feeding continuous military conflict in the Donbas -- Ukrainians responded with a massive volunteer effort and touching patriotism. In the process, they transformed their country, the region, and indeed the world. This book provides a chronicle of Ukraines Maidan and Russias ongoing war, and puts forth an analysis of the Revolution of Dignity from the perspective of a participant observer.

About the Author
Mychailo Wynnyckyj is Associate Professor of Sociology at the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (where he has also served as Director of the Doctoral School) and holds a cross-appointment to Lviv Business School of Ukrainian Catholic University, where he teaches MBA and Executive Development courses. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Economic Sociology in 2003 from the University of Cambridge, UK. During the 20132014 Maidan protests, and subsequently during the early years of Russian aggression in the Crimea and Donbas, Mychailo was a regular commentator for English-language media outlets and provided analysis on current events in his "Thoughts from Kyiv" blog. Since 2015, Mychailo has served as Advisor to Ukraines Minister of Education and Science. Born in Canada, he has lived in Kyiv with his wife and four children since 2003. Serhii Plokhy received his doctorate in history from Kyiv University in 1990. He was the chair of the Department of World History at Dnipropetrovsk University and conducted research at the Institute of Archeography and Source Studies of the National Academy Sciences of Ukraine, where he headed the Department of the History of Culture. He currently serves as the Associate Director of the Peter Jacyk Centre and the Director of the Church Studies Program at CIUS Press. He is the author of The Cossacks and Religion in Early Modern Ukraine (2001) (Ukrainian translation: 2006), Tsars and Cossacks: A Study in Iconography (2002), and Unmaking Imperial Russia: Mykhailo Hrushevsky and the Writing of Ukrainian History (2005).


Book Information
ISBN 9783838213279
Author Mychailo Wynnyckyj
Format Paperback
Page Count 450
Imprint ibidem-Verlag, Jessica Haunschild u Christian Schon
Publisher ibidem-Verlag, Jessica Haunschild u Christian Schon
Weight(grams) 666g