Ukraine is a multi-ethnic state whose society embraces a variety of ethnic, religious, and political identities. Since the country gained independence in 1991, its government has gradually fostered political nation-building measures. However, this is an ideal that is easier to declare than to implement. Ukrainian law provides pretty high standards for the protection of ethnic minorities, but some conflict and tension in ethno-national relations still persist. This lecture will analyze the evolution of these relations, both before 2014 and after the Revolution of Dignity, and will address legal, institutional, and other key aspects of Ukraine's internal ethnic policies. Separatist movements inspired from abroad are also a worrying challenge for the country. Some national trends and regional ethnopolitical case studies in contemporary Ukraine will be presented.
Political scientist and historian Anatoliy Kruglashov heads the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the Yuriy Fedkovych National University in Chernivtsi (Ukraine), and is the director of its Research Institute of European Integration and Regional Studies. His research interests include European integration, CEE/post-Soviet political developments, political regionalism and ethnopolitics, political history, and the history of political thought. Outside Ukraine, Dr. Kruglashov was twice a Visiting S.R. Tompkins Professor at the University of Alberta, and also taught at the Jagiellonian University (Poland) and the European Humanities University (Lithuania).