Authors
Carl Mirra1; 1 Adelphi University, Discussion
Post-colonial Ukraine has wrestled with the democratization process for decades. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in 2022 has exacerbated this challenge. Historical legacies of lingering Soviet fatalistic mindsets and patronalism, the informal system of oligarchic clans, further frustrates the democratization process in Ukraine. Despite these problems, there are substantial reasons for optimism with respect to broadening democracy in the Ukraine. Of critical importance is a vibrant civic society that is engaged in multiple streams of democratic-institution building. Most important is the new generation of youth, who generally embrace democratic governance and shun authoritarianism. Ironically, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has also reinforced efforts to establish a national identity and build a full-fledged democracy. A National Democratic Institute survey in January 2023 found that, across age groups, 94 percent of Ukrainians felt it was very important for Ukraine to become a “fully functioning” democracy. Remarkably, in this acute phase of war, 54 percent of Ukrainians remain very optimistic and 35 percent were more optimistic than pessimistic about the future of the country. As for the impact of the war on civic identity, 85 percent of Ukrainians express a national, rather than regional, identity that is tied to independence, freedom and civic responsibility.
Because of its recent history of popular protest and its proximity to, and desire to integrate with, the EU and NATO, nationalist sentiment in Ukraine is inextricably linked to universal human rights and democratic values. McFaul has demonstrated how democratic practices tend to broaden based on the proximity of a nation to these Western institutions.
Nowhere is the democratization process more crucial than among Ukrainian youth because the transition to a full-fledged democracy can only be lasting if democratic convictions are nutured in future generations. The broader democratization of Ukraine is inseparable from education reform. And its educational reform is inseparable from democracy-building efforts with teachers and students.
This presentation will report on the role of schools in Ukraine’s democratization process based on the collaborative research project between Adelphi University (US) and the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv). It draws on interviews, focus groups, ethnographic observations of students and teachers, and interviews with members of parliament and the Ministry of Education. It shall outline the strenghts and limitations of Ukraine’s school reform in the democratization process and how it is a crucial, yet understudied, element for democracy to endure.
