“Self-Organization” as Ukraine’s New Culture of Civic Engagement

Date: 

Thursday, April 28, 2022, 10:00am to 11:00am

Location: 

SPITTELAUER LÄNDE 3, IWM Library, VIENNA; YouTube

Organized by the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen / Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna; featuring Emily Channell-Justice, Director, Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program, HURI.

Watch on YouTube

A key element of Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests of 2013-2014 was “self-organization,” the idea that if someone has the ability to do something, and that thing needs to be done, the person should simply do it - a clear shift from a Soviet-era mentality of reliance on state institutions to meet people’s needs. This presentation explores the development of self-organization during Euromaidan, its role in later protest movements, and its contribution to reconceptualizing the state. Connecting self-organization to Ukraine’s response to Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, speakers will consider how localized, volunteer-based initiatives during the war build on previous experiences of self-organization.

Presentation by Emily Channell-Justice, Director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at the Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University. Comments by IWM Visiting Fellow Kateryna Iakovlenko.

Moderated by IWM Permanent Fellow Katherine Younger.