CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Shvaher, Viktoriia |
|---|---|
| Title | The Temporality of the Experiences of Women Activists in Ukraine's Civil Society |
| Summary | After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian civil society has been praised for its resistance and quick reactions to meet the needs of vulnerable civilians. This thesis provides a more focused overview of Ukrainian civil society to show that the phenomenon of such resistance lies in the past. I aim to show that civil society in Ukraine was not born on February 24th, 2022 but has been evolving throughout all years of Ukraine’s independence. I analyze the development of civil society in Ukraine through such milestones in Ukraine’s history as the Orange Revolution in 2004, the Revolution of Dignity in 2013, the start of the Russian aggression in 2014, and the start of the full-scale war in 2022. The focus of this thesis is women in Ukrainian civil society who stayed in Ukraine during the full-scale war and are involved in offline volunteering there. I explore the temporality of their experiences by going back to the past to try to identify the moment when their activism started, analyzing the present, and talking about hopes for the future. This study aims to provide space for Ukrainian women in civil society to narrate their experiences on their own terms. I analyze their stories through concepts of national identity, war, and gender. The respondents reflect on their feelings of belonging to the nation and the role of women in civil society during the wartimes. The data collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews suggest that women see activism as their place for agency and volunteering as their role in the state’s resistance. The respondents rely on their previous networks in their present activism and express a desire to be involved in shaping the state’s future through civil society in post-war Ukraine. Key words: civil society, national identity, militarization |
| Supervisor | Peto, Andrea |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/shvaher_viktoriia.pdf |
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