ASSESSMENTS OF UKRAINIANS' HISTORICAL GUILTS
BY AGENTS OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL IDENTITY
Authors:
V. O. Vasiutynskyi, Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher,
Institute for Social and Political Psychology of NAES of Ukraine
ORCID: 0000-0002-9808-4550, Scopus ID: 57213606129
E-mail: vadymvas55@gmail.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/upj.2021.2(16).1
Article Information
Issue: 2(16) 2021, pages: 9-20
Language: Ukrainian
Received: 15.06.2021
1 st Revision: 19.06.2021
Accepted: 23.06.2021
Abstract
The article describes the differences between the agents of local and all-Ukrainian identities in assessing the historical guilts of Ukrainians. The data were collected during two surveys: 150 residents of five small towns on the Right Bank of Ukraine, where bloody Jewish pogroms took place in 1919-1920; 100 inhabitants of four localities in Western Ukraine, where hundreds of people of Polish nationality were exterminated in 1943–1944.
The respondents’ responses to the semi-standardized interview were processed using a content analysis procedure and summarized as a set of semantic units. Differences between those who primarily identified themselves as local residents (local identity) and those who preferred to be called citizens of Ukraine (national identity) were assessed according to the Mann-Whitney test.
In estimating the sad events of the past, the agents of local identity were more focused on humanistic values and spoke of compassion for innocent victims; showed a slightly higher level of readiness to apologize for the historical faults of Ukrainians, and at the same time avoided accusations against local residents, instead of which the authorities should apologize; had a greater need to draw the right conclusions from the tragic events for the future.
The agents of national identity more clearly applied the criteria of political and ideological content and looked for the culprits among the enemies; avoided accusations against Ukrainians and «did not know» who should apologize for past crimes; tended to «objective» historical explanations of the past.
Key words: historical guilt, local identity, national identity, culprits, apologies.
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