Participants

Discussion

This roundtable explores how the ongoing Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has reshaped cultural identity, community resilience, and expressions of belonging, including in the occupied, deoccupied, and contested territories. The speakers will examine various facets of identity processes in present-day Ukraine, from the assertion of local identity and reclamation of cultural spaces to the influences of LGBTQ+ activism and the impact of occupation on cultural production. Yulia Abibok will discuss Mariupol’s evolving local identity after 2014, ultimately exploring how the destruction of Mariupol in 2022 affected this unique identity and the dispersion of its community. Ada Wordsworth examines the transformation of Soviet-era Houses of Culture in Ukraine’s frontline areas. Vitaly Chernetsky explores the rise of LGBTQ+ visibility and activism in Ukraine as part of the broader resistance against Russian aggression. Iryna Shuvalova’s work delves into Russia’s use of cultural networks, particularly literary institutions, to influence identity in occupied Ukrainian territories. Together, they invite discussion on the complex roles of culture, identity, and resistance in wartime, presenting a compelling picture of how Ukrainian communities, activists, and cultural institutions navigate and redefine identity in the face of external threats and internal challenges.