The Ukrainian Studies Program at the Harriman Institute presents the workshop: A Decade After the Euromaidan: Reflecting on Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity and its Ongoing Impact.

This winter marks a decade since Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests, which took place from 21 November 2013 to 22 February 2014. Also known as the Revolution of Dignity, this mass mobilisation was triggered by then President Yanukovych’s refusal to sign an association agreement with the EU, and later transformed into a struggle for Ukrainian democracy and independence, which eventually brought down the government. The subsequent ten years have seen significant shifts in Ukrainian culture, society, domestic politics, and foreign relations, which have set Ukraine on a more democratic, western-oriented path, and also been used by Russia to justify the onset and then escalation of its war upon Ukraine.

Whilst the world’s attention has understandably shifted to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in order to understand the Ukraine of today, we must continue to study the Euromaidan. To mark the ten-year anniversary of the protests, The Ukrainian Studies Program at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute is bringing together scholars for a one-day hybrid workshop on 5th December 2023, from 9am – 4pm Eastern Time. The research shared at this workshop will not only help us better understand this important mass mobilization, but also its connection to and long-term impact upon the resistance, attitudes, and identities of Ukrainians today. The first panel of the day will focus on protesters’ motivations and tactics, including presentations on women’s participation, digital resistance practices, and mobilisation in the city of Mariupol. The second panel will discuss the symbolism and discourse of the Euromaidan, with a particular focus on Europe, nationalist symbolism, and communist imagery. The final panel will feature research on the long-term impact of the Euromaidan, examining changes in Ukrainian identity, gender equality, and political attitudes in the decade since the protests. The workshop will also feature a presentation from the Lviv Centre of Urban History, highlighting their newly translated archive of Euromaidan interviews, available for students and researchers to use. Please join us, either at the Harriman Institute or online, in order to participate in this day of sharing and discussion.