DANYLIW RESEARCH SEMINAR ON CONTEMPORARY UKRAINE

This paper addresses the question of the formation of a diasporic identity in the Ukrainian emigration throughout the Twentieth century. This paper uses the definition of diaspora recently minted by the studies on Nineteenth century’s nationalisms, according to which diasporas are “viewed as spaces of communication, as ‘contact zones’, as ‘social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other” and not as “emblem of the unity of a dispersed people.” It will show how a specific diasporic identity, equipped with a particular political meaning (and mission), was born out of the encounter of different ways of intending the role of Ukrainians in their new host countries. In the course of the analysis, the evolution of the American, Canadian, and Australian Ukrainian communities is taken into account to show how a common sense of belonging to a diasporic community was made possible by the emergence of multiple and transnational national identities in these countries.