The politics of knowledge of political science communities: “classical” texts in Kharkiv, Simferopol, Lviv and Chisinau

Abstract

The article is devoted to revealing the influence of ideological orientations of students of political science communities of Ukraine (Lviv, Kharkiv, Simferopol) and Moldova (Chisinau) on the political science’ classical texts. This work is part of a larger study that captures the state of Ukrainian political science during 2012–2013 and provides a better understanding of the political, social, ethnic, economic, gender and disciplinary views of students on the eve of the Revolution of Dignity. The empirical basis of this article is a survey of the students enrolled in three types of academic program (bachelor’s, specialist’s and master’s degrees) at four universities: Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, V.I.Vernadsky Taurida National University and Moldova State University.
The answers of the respondents allowed revealing several tendencies. In particular, this refers to the low level of their acquaintance with modern (Western) political science works as well as the influence of the regional context and ideological preferences on scientific interests. It is also important that students have almost no interest in domestic texts and / or authors. The complete disregard of the national scientific and political traditions by students makes the postcolonial interpretation of Ukrainian and Moldavian political science relevant. This means that Ukrainian and Moldavian students from the very beginning get used to the fact that their own political life and ways of categorizing it are presented by ancient, foreign and postSoviet (mostly Russian) scientists, politicians and even writers. Despite the obvious geopolitical conflicts of interest it is they who tell / explain what a real political science, politics, political past and future, political regimes are.
The final part of the article concludes that Ukrainian and Moldovan political science at the student level can be described as the one searching for the subjectivity, acting as a self-proclaimed “colony” of the Western or Russian scientific metropole. This puts on the agenda the following: the need to become interesting to themselves and to make the relevant political sciences truly topical to their own societies, acting as the original knowledge makers rather than repeaters of other people’s experience.