National identity has a daily impact on our lives. We may not see it, feel it, or deny it, but the Ukrainian who dwells inside each of us governs our actions and choices every day. As such, we want you to accompany us on a journey from the intellectual and psychological foundations that underpin national identity to daily life, which is directly affected by them.
The most fundamental level of national identity"s processual effect on reality is the level of philosophical concepts. It is discernible at the anthropological and cultural-historical levels of inquiry, owing to the contributions of renowned philosophers. At this level of influence, the Fundamental Ideas and actualizing principles of national identity, as well as the laws of daily activity, expressions, and morality absorbed by society, all play a part structurally. Fundamental Ideas are eternal: they persist independent of institutional changes, historical upheavals, or philosophical debate. They may be ideologically motivated, invariantly discursively arranged, or institutionally understood, but their essence will stay timeless and will appear at the following levels of impact on reality, including ordinary life. The simplest technique to ensure that national identity concepts stay stable at this level is to examine the psychology of emigrants.
The next stage of self-determination is communal self-determination. It is visible in psychological and cultural-historical level of study. Its expressions are seen at times of crisis as well as in historical and cultural retrospect. For instance, during times of crisis, it is obvious which beliefs and principles of identification serve as the basis for mobilization, consolidation, and, ultimately, consensus in responses. Additionally, you may examine how identification influences the agenda and conversation in hindsight. It is feasible to discover sensitive parts of self-determination by summarizing the "pain spots" employed in manipulative and propagandistic activities. For instance, it is a complex of inferiority, extreme individualization, and special collective hurts for Ukrainians. We want to underline that propaganda and manipulation are ALWAYS derived from national identity and are incapable of altering the Fundamental Ideas of Identity. It may alter the manner in which collective self-determination is exercised over an extended period of time, but it cannot alter the substance of national identity. At this level, changes in self-determination may be seen throughout generations. The next level of analysis is that of social and political institutions and processes. At this stage of the dialogue, all perspectives on this subject often agree on the phrase "well, this is the attitude." Indeed, since national identity is the behavioural, cognitive, and moral foundation upon which social and political institutions are built, it is logical to notice its expressions at this level. All facets of a state"s and society"s political system (specific electoral processes, elite recruitment, institutional memory, ideologization, freedom index, regime change, etc.), as well as the structure and content of the social contract (morality, ethics, approved, no, which traditions are maintained, which are not, how progress is perceived, etc.), are founded on national identity. For example, despite the traditional ideological spectrum"s non-applicability in Ukraine"s party system, it is acceptable to argue that parties and ideologies that advocate aggressive governmental involvement in the majority of domains of life are unpopular in Ukraine. Or people" active resistance to the autocratization of power and authoritarian or totalitarian governments, as well as the personalisation of power and the underdevelopment of executive branch institutions. Not to mention the Ukrainians" Fundamental Ideas of Liberty and Law. By and large, a complete knowledge of the process by which national identity affects social and political institutions requires a grasp of the succeeding degrees of effect.
The next level is that of social and mental representations. This is the easiest level of the ones examined, although it is not the last one. It is a topic that may be discussed extensively at the discursive level of analysis. Typically, this level of study is seen in the publications of the Razumkov Center and KIIS, which deal with issues of identity, values, and ideological priorities, among others. Social and mental representations of things might be thought of as mental definitions. Consider the following in terms of the objects you are now seeing. Now, define each of these terms. Now, compare the definition to the item in front of you. Our brain executes this operation on a daily basis. This is how we see reality without being aware of the mechanisms involved. As a result, the basic definitions of these notions, namely social and mental representations, have a significant impact on how certain occurrences and processes are seen on a daily basis. For example, in less than two months, the term "Ukrainian" has acquired new meanings in Ukraine and internationally, altering perceptions of Ukrainians as Ukrainians and outsiders. As a result, more institutional and social choices affecting Ukrainians are made by Ukrainians. As a result, new political institutions are emerging, collective self-determination is evolving, and fundamental Ideas are becoming more prevalent.
Daily acts and choices are the last degree of impact. At this level, anybody may witness how a Ukrainian respond to ordinary life and crisis circumstances, how he organizes his life, and how he organizes relationships in his family, job, and community. Every day, we behave as Ukrainians, displaying the centuries-old history of Ukrainian"s and defining essential terms in fresh ways. We redefine the terms "hero," "warrior," "war," "Ukrainian," and "enemy," among others, by examining how our forefathers and mothers manifested their identities in everyday acts and choices, and most crucially — in crisis circumstances. This is the stage at which we begin our everyday job by expressing our inner Ukrainian.
Consider the dynamics of the process through which national identity impacts our reality in order to better understand the links between levels.
First, let us shift from a broad to a precise level of detail. The fundamental concepts of national identity have remained constant throughout history and are articulated principally at the level of collective self-determination. Because of the shared Fundamental Ideas, the society responds to the crisis in an equal manner and unites around values that are equally important to everyone. These values influence the agenda and discourse in the state, which in turn influences the activities of the political system in general, as well as the activities of political and social institutions in particular: they shape the logic of electoral processes, influence the recruitment of elites, change the rules of coexistence in the territory, and so on. They have an impact on social and mental representations, which is to say, on how citizens perceive phenomena and processes that occur, as well as on how they perceive reality in general. Everyone adjusts their daily routines in response to these changes in the environment.
Consider the following processes in order of specificity to generality. On a daily basis, we express ourselves in Ukrainian, so exposing our own selves in one way or another. When we deliberately exhibit ourselves as Ukrainians, we adapt our own mental representations (that is, we begin to experience the world in a new way) and affect social representations (that is, we begin to perceive the world in a different way) (that is, we change the perception of the world of our discursive circle). By acting and making judgments on a daily basis, we establish and sustain a wide range of institutional practices, which eventually become the accepted standard. This allows us to have an impact on the whole political system, including the social contract. By banding together with our neighbours, refusing to accept bribes, and exercising control over deputies, we can institutionalize desired practices and bring values into the mainstream. As a result, the whole state as well as society and every one of us will have the opportunity to react to diverse difficulties in accordance with the principle of collective self-determination in the years to come. All of these processes are manifestations and interpretations of the Fundamental Ideas of Identity that we carry about with us on a daily basis. Following this introduction, we will delve further into the Ukrainian Identity and the structure of its influence on our daily lives in the materials that will follow.
The importance of one"s national identity in one"s social and political life cannot be overstated. It is our — Ukrainian — identity that serves as the foundation of our existence. And it is entirely up to us how our lives will unfold in the next days. That is why we are doing all we can to ensure that our existence is Ukrainian.
Bogdan Bevza
Andriy Ginkul
