Rooting as a Method of Constructing Identity in Post-1991 Ukraine

The concept of “rooting” in this chapter refers to the totalitarian practice of uprooting, not just individuals but entire communities. This mechanism, thoroughly analysed by Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), emerged at a time when fears of another World War loomed, seen as a continuation of the previous two. Arendt's theory explores the dynamics of anti-Semitism, imperialism and totalitarianism, where the nature of absolute evil is exposed. Soviet authorities employed a range of tactics designed to create a mass society where interpersonal relationships were eroded and replaced by fear and total obedience to authority. In contrast to these practices, after the fall of the USSR, Ukrainian female writers began to address historical events that had previously been silenced, such as the Holodomor, anti-Soviet partisans during World War II and the Executed Renaissance of the 1920s. Through their engagement with these once-forbidden subjects, these writers depict the vast range of women's experiences in post-1991 Ukraine, grappling with both imperial oppression and native patriarchal traditions, while striving to reclaim the right to self-determination. In their everyday lives, women continue to bear the burdens imposed by the lingering Soviet myth of gender equality while also contending with a neo- narodnyk resurgence that often places the responsibility for the nation's well-being and independence squarely on their shoulders. This dual struggle highlights the complex role women play in navigating Ukraine's historical memory and identity construction after independence.