Putin bidrar till det ukrainska självmedvetandet

Foto: Astrid Nydahl

 

En nation föds. Så lyder rubriken på en mycket intressant artikel i The Insider. Temat är det självklara: Putin ville krossa den ukrainska nationen, istället skapade han en stark nationell identitet i det ukrainska folket.

There is no doubt that this war will become a constitutive national «foundation myth», a basis for a more homogeneous nation and a more stable state of the future, replacing the historical World War I and World War II constructs and personalities, which many consider controversial. Almost regardless of its outcome. The specific mythological narrative may change somewhat, depending on how the war ends, but its «mythogenic» potential is enormous and will certainly be in demand. However, I am certain that the Russian language and culture will not become a part of such a national myth or of the symbolic complex of the future Ukrainian nation. And it's not just about the war, although it will definitely play its role. Post-colonial identity is built on the repulsion of the former metropole, so the process of removal of Pushkin monuments is logical and inevitable. Had there been no invasion, maybe they wouldn't have been torn down yet, but they simply would have ceased to be noticed and paid attention to.

 

Putin kommer förstås att finnas i varje seriös historiebok, som den enskilda människa vars handlingar ställde till mest elände och lidande, men också som den som aktivt och oavsiktligt bidrog till skapandet av ett starkt ukrainskt självmedvetande.