Book highlight from “Zero Point Ukraine” by Olena Stiazhkina
Part 1 of “Zero Point Ukraine” highlight from the chapter entitled “Unexpected outcome” considered the myth of the “Great Patriotic War” as the starting point for the new Russian empire. Part 2 focused on Ukrainian resistance as the continuation of the national liberation struggle. Part 3 outlined the new international situation after WWII. Part 4 addressed the issues of new and existing Ukrainian diasporas in post-war period. Part 5 summarises post-war activity of the diaspora promoting the idea of a free Ukraine, and concludes the highlight.
Part 5
The unfinished war
The new wave of emergence and the symbolic growth of Ukrainian diasporas in the Western world had other implications as it was based on a paradigm of the unfinished war—unfinished, that is, for Ukraine. For a significant number of Ukrainians, “to be Ukrainian” in Europe, US, and Canada meant to live and act for future victory. This intention, surprisingly, corresponded to the motives for survival of Ukrainians in the Soviet camps. Despite the fact that life was completely different in the free world, and the temptation to assimilate and lose self-awareness were high, members of the Uk