United We Stand: National consolidation in the case of Ukraine

In what way is the transition from statelessness to statehood transformative for a national community? Does the national identity acquire new properties and the national community a new unity when independence is achieved? And how are both affected by external threats and invasion? What is the role of civic society and religious institutions during such existential moments? The workshop will aim to discuss these questions.

The speakers who represent disciplines such as philosophy, history, sociology, political science, literary criticism, and religious studies will be asked to take Ukraine as their case study, with a particular focus on the moments of birth and rebirth of the Ukrainian nation-state in 1917 and 1991 and the turning points of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2014 and 2022. The inclusion of Ukrainian scholars aims to provide an insider’s perspective on how national consolidation can emerge as a consequence of intra-national as well as extra-national factors.

The talks presented will on the one hand offer a theoretical contribution to the study of national identities and communities in the modern era of nation-states. On the other, they will also provide a deeper understanding of the war taking place on the European continent today and the way it might impact the sustainability and integrity of both the Ukrainian state and Europe at large.

The workshop targets students, university staff members, and everyone interested in the questions centred around the concepts of collective identity, nationalism, national communities, Ukrainian national history, and the Russian-Ukrainian war.