The Ukrainians

October 2, 2000
Since the 1990s, journalists, academics, politicians and the public have groped for some sense of the history, culture and politics of emerging, post-communist independent states--Croatia, Macedonia, Slovakia, Belarus, Slovenia and the like. In 1991 Ukraine joined the ranks of these new states and emerged as a pivotal player in the new alignment of Eurasian politics. Wilson, a lecturer in Ukrainian studies at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of University College in London, provides a comprehensive overview (more scholarly than popular) of Ukraine's history, focusing on questions of national identity and describing Ukraine as a recent invention as a nation. For Ukraine, he suggests, national identity revolves around the complex and fluctuating relation between Ukraine and Russia, from the contested views of medieval Kievan Rus and its national origins (Ukrainian or Russian or both?), to the troubles faced by a modern Ukraine with a significant Russian and Russian-speaking population. Wilson presents Ukraine as a cultural construct, a creation of both Ukrainian and Russian imagination and politics; as a result, the book will displease those who dismiss poststructuralist views of national identity. Still, thorough, rigorous and informative, Wilson's survey promises to sharpen Westerners' perceptions of the surviving East-West divide along the European and Russian border. Because it is "a vital `swing' state" in Eastern Europe, Ukraine's past and future, Wilson convincingly argues, should very much concern us. Illus. not seen by PW.

September 15, 2000
This marvelous work examines Ukrainian history and politics in light of the literature of the country's nationalism. Legends of a heroic past buttress feelings of kinship within national groups, and nationalists, consequently, look to antiquity to rally popular support. Accordingly, Wilson (Ukrainian studies, University Coll., London) surveys the myth of national origin conveyed by Ukraine's supposed biblical origins and the lays (ballads) of ancient Russia. Memories of past grievances, such as subjugation to foreign powers, typically bolster national sentiments. Though Russia dominated the country until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukrainians take pride in their ancient culture, and the widespread use of the Russian language is a daily reminder to the Ukrainians of their traumatic past. Wilson rounds out the study by assessing the country's economic prospects and sketching a future course for Ukrainian geopolitics. As always, the past informs the politics of today. A perfect introduction to a fascinating culture; strongly recommended for all libraries.--James R. Holmes, Ph.D. candidate, Fletcher Sch. of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts Univ., Medford, MA

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