ROUND TABLE “HISTORY IN US AND US IN HISTORY: PSYCHOLOGY OF HISTORICAL MEMORY”
October 19, 2022 at the Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine as part of the scientific special project “Ukraine: Consolidation. Solidarity. “Unity” hosted the VI round table “History in us and us in history: psychology of historical memory”.
The event was organized by the Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Association of Political Psychologists.
Employees of the Department of Theory and History of Political Science of our Institute, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher Tetyana Bevz and Doctor of Political Sciences, Leading Researcher Vyacheslav Yaremchuk took part in the work of the round table and spoke with a speech.
In the report on the topic “The concept of “unity” in the political discourse of nowadays” Tetyana Bevz emphasized the undeniable relevance of the concept of “unity”/”cohesion” in the political and scientific discourse of nowadays. She emphasized that the cohesion of society is centered around ideas (it is primarily about the idea of national self-determination, the idea of the country’s independence); noted that it is a combination of several components: identity, trust, interaction and accessibility; cohesion, degree of integration of society, “unity” are considered as synonyms; and “cohesion” is an indicator of readiness for joint action, the ability of society or community to act together, in particular, in the face of challenges and threats.
In the political discourse, the speaker noted, “unity”/”cohesion” is referred to as: 1) “unity” as a factor that united society; 2) “unity” as a factor that united society and the government; 3) “unity” as a factor that united Ukrainians all over the world; 4) “unity” as a factor that united Europe in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war; 5) “unity” as a factor that united the world.
Analyzing the understanding of the concept of “unity” in modern conditions, the speaker singled out several aspects of its understanding and interpretation: 1) one of the important factors in ensuring the unity of society is the development of the armed forces; 2) unity of citizens in readiness for joint defense of the state during military aggression; 3) unity and readiness to repel the aggressor is our strength and the guarantee of preserving Ukrainian statehood; 4) we are united in our desire for a just peace, well-being for Ukraine, and therefore for each of us, for future generations; 5) Ukrainians are united: “we are unanimous in our thoughts, united mentally and physically. Ukrainians are a strong and eternal nation”; 6) we are a single country, a single people, a single nation; 7) “The President of Ukraine has become a source of inspiration and motivator for the entire country”; 8) “Ukraine acquires an obvious, albeit hard-suffering subjectivity, and thus finally acquires the right to manage its own destiny”; 9) “Ukrainians are already doing what they need to do. They organized their society – in particular, civil society – to help the armed forces, created a volunteer movement, civil activism”; 10) “our nation is more united than ever. We now have common dreams, ideas and goals” 11) “unity/cohesion in the most difficult time for the country is the magic code of the Ukrainian nation, which gives it strength and indomitability.”
Summing up, the speaker noted that today national unity is our joint conscious choice, which we have chosen and are defending today; unity is the foundation of our success, the guarantee of a strong, independent state and the restoration of its territorial integrity; the concept of “unity” is the national idea of a united and indivisible Ukraine, the basis of opposition to the enemy, the basis of our stability and mutual support, the basis of relations between the government, citizens and civil society. Our task: to preserve the unity of the vision for the development of Ukraine after the victory!
In a report on the topic “Ukrainian society in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war: consolidation in the name of victory”, Vyacheslav Yaremchuk noted that the large-scale Russian invasion of 2022, which threatened the existence of the state and the Ukrainian nation, started a new countdown for Ukraine, became a real historical test for Ukrainian society, a test of its ability to protect the Motherland, its right to life. It was argued that a number of factors played a decisive role in the consolidation of Ukrainian society and the mobilization of its efforts in the face of a dangerous challenge, among them the establishment of the foundations of the idea and value of the Ukrainian united state, historical memory, awareness of the uniqueness of the Ukrainian nation, the tradition of national liberation and independent state process, neutralization of the propaganda of our enemy, which had an integrating effect on society in its struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
The speaker emphasized that during post-war reconstruction it will be necessary to continue the course of reforms and European integration, he emphasized the importance of further maintaining a high level of social consolidation.
A meaningful discussion was held, dedicated to the study of the phenomenon of historical narrative and its influence on the national self-awareness of Ukrainians.