REVIVAL OF A LANGUAGE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE UKRAINIANS OF DONETSK REGION UNDER CONDITIONS OF “PERESTROIKA” AND DURING THE FIRST YEARS OF INDEPENDENT UKRAINE

Abstract

The aim of the research consists in elucidating the nature and main aspects of the development of a language identity and national consciousness of the Ukrainians of Donetsk region during the period of “perestroika” and the first years of independence of Ukraine, in the context of modern ethno-national problems. The research methodology is based primarily on the principle of historicism, concretized by the approach to historical phenomena and processes from the standpoint of dynamics, the study of the relationships between them and their interdependence. The use of this principle allows us to study the dynamics of the historical process from the point of view of its past and development trends in the future. A number of general historical methods have been used, namely: comparative-historical, historical comparative studies, retrospective. The latter, in particular, provides for the reconstruction of certain phenomena in the process of the revival of a cultural and national identity of the Ukrainians of Donetsk region in the context of "perestroika" and the first years of independent Ukraine. This allows us to construct separate models for the development of a national consciousness in our time, using, at the same time, some historical patterns and traditions. The scientific novelty consists in analyzing the process of the revival of a language identity and national consciousness of the Ukrainians of Donetsk region in the context of “perestroika” and the first years of independent Ukraine. This allows us to design individual models for the development of a cultural and national identity under modern conditions. The Conclusions. The process of reviving the cultural and national identity of the Ukrainians of Donetsk region in the context of “perestroika” and the first years of independent Ukraine became an interdependent phenomenon with the emergence in Donetsk region of a number of cultural national and socio-political organizations, primarily, Donetsk regional organization of Taras Shevchenko the Ukrainian Language Society. Despite the active process of Russification and denationalization, which has been carried out since the 1930-ies, the Ukrainian identity in Donetsk region still prevailed for some time. However, a targeted Russification policy aimed at destroying the language identity and national consciousness of the Ukrainian, naturally led to the confusion of all the peoples of the Soviet Union on the principles of the so-called internationalism into one, artificially formed, “homo sovieticus”. Thanks to public organizations and cultural national societies in Donetsk region at the end of the 1980-ies – beginning of the 1990-ies, the process of Ukrainization of the identity of the region population began. However, a number of factors prevented this. In particular, the predominantly individualistic orientation of ethnic self-expression of the Ukrainians of Donetsk region prevented the widespread development of their language identification and national identity. Also, as a result of a massive Russification and planting of chauvinistic stereotypes, the Ukrainians were deliberately turned into a second-class ethnic mass, the outcasts. The leaders of such a policy were mainly the former party-Komsomol functionaries, who, thanks to connections with criminals and oligarchic circles, reached leading positions in almost all authority structures during the 1990-ies. And, naturally, it was they, who stood at the origins of separatism long before the spring of 2014.