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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 postmodern 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 Ukraine’s 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 Ukraine’s Maidan and Russia’s ongoing war, and puts forth an analysis of the Revolution of Dignity from the perspective of a participant observer.
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 PhD in economic sociology in 2003 from the University of Cambridge. During the 2013–2014 Maidan protests, and subsequently during the early years of Russian aggression in the Crimea and Donbas, Wynnyckyj 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 Ukraine’s minister of education and science. Born in Canada, he has lived in Kyiv with his wife and four children since 2003.
The author of the foreword:
Dr. Serhii Plokhy is Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts.