Deconstructing Narratives of Belonging and Otherness among Steppe Ukraine Villagers: Place, Space, Language, and Historical Consciousness

Abstract

The image of Steppe Ukraine as a historical region has mainly been constructed based on narratives originating from urban centres that are often perceived as alien to this territory and people. Being one of the most industrial and urbanised parts of Ukraine during the period of the Soviet Union, the region witnessed a significant alteration in its peasant culture. Collectivisation, Holodomor, and the Second World War are the leading causes of the alteration in the social composition of Steppe Ukraine’s rural populations. The article deals with the complex question of identity formation among the villagers of Steppe Ukraine. There is particularly focus on the strategies of narrating feelings of belonging and otherness used by local villagers based on their understanding of the history of the places they inhabit. The article also looks at the inhabitants’ relationships with the people with whom they used to coexist in the same space, although these peoples were often wiped out amid the changing circumstances of the region.