ТMEMORY ON THE WALLS : MURALS AS A TOOL FOR COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND IDENTITY IN UKRAINIAN AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS

This article examines the use of murals as a tool for shaping collective memory and identity. It analyzes how wall paintings in public spaces have historically and contemporarily been employed to commemorate events, express group identity, and influence social narratives. Drawing on examples from Ukrainian mural art as well as cases from Germany, Ireland, Mexico, and other countries, the study explores the functions of murals in preserving or contesting historical memory and in constructing national or shared identities, thereby shaping public perceptions of the past. The research is grounded in theories of collective memory (M. Halbwachs, P. Nora) and «imagined communities» (B. Anderson), and integrates findings from both Ukrainian and international scholarship. The results indicate that murals function as visual «sites of memory» capable of uniting communities around shared experiences or, conversely, of becoming discursive arenas of memory politics in polarized societies. The article also addresses the challenges of integrating murals from the totalitarian era into contemporary national cultural heritage. The conclusion emphasizes the significance of murals as an accessible and powerful form of commemorative practice that impacts memory politics and identity development, while also outlining directions for future research in this field.