The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Second edition - Softcover

Wilson, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300093098 ISBN 13: 9780300093094

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2002

Synopsis

This book is the most acute, informed, and insightful account of Ukraine and its people available today. Andrew Wilson focuses on the complex relations between Ukraine and Russia and explains the different versions of the past propagated by Ukrainians and Russians. He also examines the continuing debates over identity, culture, and religion in Ukraine since its independence in 1991. For this new edition, Wilson has brought the text fully up to date to include coverage of the Yushchenko government and the "Gongadze affair."

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

As in many postcommunist states, politics in Ukraine revolves around the issue of national identity. Ukrainian nationalists see themselves as one of the world's oldest and most civilized peoples, as "older brothers" to the younger Russian culture. Yet Ukraine became independent only in 1991, and Ukrainians often feel like a minority in their own country, where Russian is still the main language heard on the streets of the capital, Kiev. This book is a comprehensive guide to modern Ukraine and to the versions of its past propagated by both Russians and Ukrainians. Andrew Wilson provides the most acute, informed, and up-to-date account available of the Ukrainians and their country.Concentrating on the complex relation between Ukraine and Russia, the book begins with the myth of common origin in the early medieval era, then looks closely at the Ukrainian experience under the tsars and Soviets, the experience of minorities in the country, and the path to independence in 1991. Wilson also considers the history of Ukraine since 1991 and the continuing disputes over identity, culture, and religion. He examines the economic collapse under the first president, Leonid Kravchuk, and the attempts at recovery under his successor, Leonid Kuchma. Wilson explores the conflicts in Ukrainian society between the country's Eurasian roots and its Western aspirations, as well as the significance of the presidential election of November 1999.

From the Back Cover:

"In this excellent guide, Wilson charts the history of Ukrainian nationalism over the centuries and examines the ways in which Ukrainians have understood their culture, myths, history, and politics as specifically Ukrainian. Wilson has succeeded admirably in providing a detailed and judicious study of the current ideas that make up Ukrainian national identity."—Virginia Quarterly Review "A lively, detailed, and eminently sensible exploration of who the Ukrainians are and why they are important . . . required reading for anyone with a serious interest in Eastern Europe."—Anna Reid, Literary Review "[A] sweeping introductory examination of Ukrainian identity and history. . . . An exceptional history, the kind that supplies not pat answers but food for thought within a lush context of documented and mythological past."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A fresh, objective look at Ukrainian identity, which explores the many past and present possibilities that continue to confront this 'unexpected nation'."—Choice

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0300093098
• ISBN 13: 9780300093094
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 368