Between Soviet Heritage and the European Vector: the Role of Political Rhetoric in Shaping National Identity in Ukraine (1991-2004)
Journal: Acta de Historia & Politica Saeculum XXI
Year: 2025

This article explores the formative role of political rhetoric in constructing and contesting national identity in Ukraine during the post-Soviet period of 1991-2004. In a transitional context marked by institutional fragility, historical ambivalence, and regional polarization, political elites deployed rhetoric not only to reflect societal change but to actively shape collective imaginaries. Situated between the ideological legacy of the Soviet Union and the aspirational pull of European integr