Leaders discuss peculiarities of Ukrainian society at the latest Dialogue on Identity seminar

On December 13, the tenth Dialogue on Identity seminar in the “Rethinking Ukrainian Identity” project occurred.

As a platform for dialogue among leaders, the Aspen Institute Kyiv implements a project to address divisive discourses in Ukrainian society. Since May 2021, more than 200 Ukrainian leaders, including government and political figures, as well as representatives from the civic and academic sectors, media, culture, and other fields, have participated in ten seminars.

Below are the main theses of the last seminar:

• In modern Ukrainian society, there is a clear need to embrace a plurality of worldviews as a foundation for building a shared vision of the future.
• It is essential to introduce new forms of dialogue that can be effective in a society where, for generations, people did not influence the creation of rules and had no opportunity to speak.
• Ukraine must develop its grand narrative rather than relying on foreign perceptions imposed by an imperial worldview.
• Ukrainian society is ready to defend its rights. However, it is crucial to shift the perception of the law toward the principle of “one law for all.” This is the key to upholding human rights.

Natalia Kryvda, Professor of the Department of Ukrainian Philosophy and Culture of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and Volodymyr Fadieiev, Head of the Department at Hryhorii Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, moderated the seminar.

— The Rethinking Ukrainian Identity Project was implemented by the Aspen Institute Kyiv in 2021. It included 10 workshops with more than 200 leaders from various fields. “Through dialogue, representatives of different political positions could hear each other and discuss key issues of building a future vision of an inclusive political nation,” noted Olena Fomina, Head of the National Identity Program.

The project was initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and implemented with the support of the European Union.