“Who is a Ukrainian nationalist today? What does this term mean for you?”
Vadym SKURATIVSKY, professor at the Kyiv Karpenko-Kary State University of Theater, Filmmaking, and Television:
“Today, the Ukrainian nationalist is a phantom. It was a specific historical phenomenon that started at the turn of the twentieth century with Mykola Mikhnovsky and ended in August 1991, when those who called themselves Ukrainian nationalists were transformed into political forces with totally different goals. Thus, it was a period lasting from the figures of Mikhnovsky and Dontsov to the personalities of Valentyn Moroz and Levko Lukyanenko. Meanwhile, today this notion exists in a transformed form. I also object to the notion of Ukrainian nationalist being placed within a negative context. Even I am sometimes called that during parliamentary hearings.”
Dmytro KORCHYNSKY, writer:
“In general, nationalism is the common sense of the nation. Accordingly, nationalists are bearers of this common sense. For me, nationalism is the instinct of self-preservation. If you have this instinct you are a nationalist. Meanwhile, today bad labels are attached to many good notions.”
Serhiy KRYMSKY, Ph.D., professor:
“When assessing the phenomenon of nationalism, one should differentiate among three notions, that is, nationalism, patriotism, and chauvinism. Nationalism is a conscious expression of the strategy and interests of one’s nation, and it deals not only with its ethnic and anthropologic foundations, national language, culture, and traditions, but also with sociopolitical goals of national development. Nationalism includes both love of one’s people and realization of the nation-state as a subject of world history. This means that realization of one’s nationality should not develop into an antagonism among different nations. Such an antagonism is typical of chauvinism. In a broader sense, nationalism blends organically with patriotism as a national idea common to all citizens of the country in question. Nationalism can become corrupt when it crosses with chauvinism or becomes a state policy meant exclusively to serve a single nation within modern multinational states. But in the strict sense nationalism is a major factor of development of one’s personality.”
Nataliya LAVRYNENKO, chief research fellow, Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences:
“In general, the word nationalist can be divided into a number of categories. And each of them is yet to be fully researched. This term has never had a single meaning. For me, a nationalist is a person who cares about the interests of his country, its development, and wants it to occupy a decent place in the world. There is a category of people matching this description. But there is also a different category of people whose mentality is akin to that of the former Communists, specifically, those Communists who have chosen a convenient political direction and use it to serve their own selfish ends. If formerly these people believed in a Communist ideology and were active members of the Party, for which they received certain career benefits or apartments, now that same category of people, having changed their colors to those of nationalists, is using nationalism as a trump card in its career rivalry with others. I’d call them quasi-nationalists. As a sociologist, I can say that this phenomenon is typical of the older generation, especially officials and academics. The young are sparsely represented in this group. They use other mechanisms to find their place in life. And the good thing is that this quasi-nationalism is a rare occurrence among them. First, schools now provide good fundamentals of the Ukrainian language. Second, they have grown up after independence. They are proud of their homeland. Thus, these are the two groups of nationalists I have met. There is also a third group in Western Ukraine. For example, the followers of Vyacheslav Chornovil. But these ideological fighters for independence are few in number.”
P.S. The Day plans to continue the discussion of this issue. We invite our readers to join in the discussion. We wait for your responses at the following address: Kyiv-212, vul. Marshala Tymoshenka, 2L;
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