Theoretical Problems of Current Historical Politics in Ukraine

Abstract

The article deals with the theoretical problems of current historical politics in Ukraine. The beginning presents the definition of historical politics as an instrument of state power that works to confirm the dominant interpretations of the past. The author then analyses the theoretical issues relevant to the social functions of historical knowledge and argues that the principal one among them is the social identification of members of the community which seeks to separate itself from other communities. It is emphasised that history acts as a “biography” of a community or person, and historical knowledge functions as a product of the ideologists of this community. The argument references the theory of “cultural imputation” elaborated in detail by the Polish historian Wojciech Wrzosek. The author also introduces his own concept of the historian’s limitations in understanding and explaining the past from contemporary positions, since the current state of knowledge has the ability to rely only on the past models. The subsequent part describes the difficulties of modern Ukrainian historiography in shaping the “normative” image of Ukraine, which would foresee a projection of the subjectivity of the modern state in its past. Ukrainian historians have to cope with numerous anti-Ukrainian myths and stereotypes that have been developed over the centuries by powerful Ukraine’s neighbors, primarily Russia and Poland. The final part of the article provides examples of a gradual re-evaluation by Ukrainian historians of established and widespread stereotypes, in particular on the concept of “Great Patriotic War”, and also analyses the measures taken by the Ukrainian authorities regarding historical policy after the so-called The Revolution of Dignity and the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian War, in particular regarding de-communization and the return of the fighters for the independence of Ukraine to the social historical discourse.