The Politics of History on the Maidan
Political Emancipation and National Self-Assurance
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The political and collective self-perception of a protest movement is seen in the historical events, persons, and symbols it chooses in order to mobilise and integrate its supporters. In the first phase of the Euromaidan, references to the symbolism of the Ukrainian state and the European Union played a central role. The more determined resistance to the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych and its use of force became, the more Cossack traditions moved into the foreground. These symbolise the Ukrain-ian quest for freedom and the spirit of resistance. The Maidan became an incarnation of the Zaporizhzhian Sich. By contrast, dubious nationalist symbols, such as the red-black flag of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists and images of Stepan Bandera, remained a rather peripheral phenomenon.
(Osteuropa 5-6/2014, pp. 239–258)