Immortalization of Ukrainian defenders heroism: current approaches in the politics of memory

Abstract

The article outlines approaches to creating memorial of Ukrainian defenders as an important task of Ukrainian politics of memory. This task has acquired extraordinary social importance in the situation of full-scale Russian aggression, which is currently ongoing. The memorial should contribute to the solidarity and mobilization of Ukrainian society, the patriotic upbringing of youth, and the positioning of Ukraine in the international arena. Its task is to glorify the heroism of the defenders and reflect the guidelines of the freedom-loving political culture and national myth of Ukrainians. A number of legal acts regulate the creation of Ukrainian defenders memorial. However, the issue of the location of the memorial has not yet been resolved. This forces us to consider the feasibility of revising the existing project and concept. Therefore, the purpose of the article is the analysis of current and promising approaches of the politics of memory in matters of immortalization of Ukrainian defenders heroism.
The historical perspective show the coherence of nation building and the traditions of commemorating the defenders of the Motherland (in particular, the Unknown Soldier). It is outlined the concept of «places of memory» and its functions. The conditions for the implementation of these functions in the architectural solution of the project are determined. The article provides examples of approaches to memorializing the military heroism in Western countries. American military memorials are a tuning fork of military ethics and solidarity. There are defined a foundations of the Arlington National Cemetery in the USA, as well as the Australian War Memorial. The main facts about their functioning, the organization of the memorial space and the calendar are discussed. A proposal to take into account and combine these approaches when designing the Ukrainian memorial to the defenders is articulated.