MAPPING OF MEMORY ABOUT THE 2013– 2014 REVOLUTION OF DIGNITY IN UKRAINE

Authors

  • Khrystyna Semeryn Independent researcher

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15407/mics2022.02.136

Keywords:

Revolution of Dignity, Euromaidan, spaces of memory, symbolic map, mapping of memory

Abstract

In this article, which is a component of a larger study of the cultural memory of the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine prior to russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the spatial dimension of this memory is examined. Space-based commemoration is essential for the collective, shared 154 perpetuation of events. Initially, the location or territory is subject to spontaneous memorialization, followed by institutionalization. The institutionalization of the Revolution of Dignity’s memory may involve state memory policies, the establishment of relevant institutions and organizations, particularly the Museum, legislation, and multilevel measures. Consequently, there are distinct places and spaces: those that generate new meanings and interact differently with the pretext and context, the audience, and society as a whole, and those that “block positive meaning-making”. In any case, it is important to note that the gradual memorialization of a location distances people from the actual past. This is one of space memory’s many paradoxes. Using the example of a symbolic map of Kiev and a scaled map of protests throughout Ukraine, the author then clarifies the common and unique characteristics of the memorialization of the Revolution of Dignity in space. Maidan Nezalezhnosti [Kyiv’s Independence Square] has become the spiritual center of the protests. A historical map of the Revolution in Kiev depicts the entire area, including Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Hrushevska, Instytutska, Bankova, and Khreschatyk, among others. Some of these locations were renamed in accordance with the new memory semantics following the revolution; for example, on November 20, 2014, the Alley of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred was renamed Instytutska. In the interim, protests occurred simultaneously in Kiev and all other regions of Ukraine, which were influenced by the events occurring in the capital but also developing their own resistance strategies. Monuments as markers on the city’s symbolic map, particularly the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Luhansk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Donetsk, played an essential role in the spatial consolidation of regional Euromaidans. Regional and local memory policies are based on nominal recognition and general commemoration of 2013–2014 events, according to the article. The renaming of spaces and locations is an additional dominant tool at all levels. In 2014, for instance, more than thirty streets, alleys, and squares were renamed in honor of the Heavenly Hundred. In conclusion, a central idea is that the traumatic memory and valor of the Revolution’s participants must be preserved in space. Labeling and organizing memorialization and commemoration spaces and locations are crucial steps in memory preservation and overcoming cultural trauma. In the interim, the key achievements of Euromaidan should be enshrined in the new Ukrainian society’s ethos of freedom and dignity, values, and conduct. This process continues despite the fact that Ukraine is currently defending its freedom and dignity in a full-scale, bloody war waged by Russia.

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Published

2023-01-05

How to Cite

Semeryn , K. (2023). MAPPING OF MEMORY ABOUT THE 2013– 2014 REVOLUTION OF DIGNITY IN UKRAINE. City: History, Culture, Society, (14), 136–154. https://doi.org/10.15407/mics2022.02.136

Issue

Section

Modern Transformations of the City Space