Decolonizing Ukraine How the Indigenous People of Crimea Remade Themselves after Russian Occupation
Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Greta Uehling holds a PhD in anthropology and is a Teaching Professor for the Program in International and Comparatives Studies at the University of Michigan, where she leads seminars on human rights and humanitarian topics. She is also a Faculty Associate for the Center for Russian East European, and Eurasian Studies(CREEES). Dr. Uehling’s research is broadly concerned with war, conflict, and forced migration. Passionate about the rights of refugees and the internally displaced, she has held appointments at the UN High Commissioner for refugees and worked on issues of unaccompanied and undocumented minors in the United States. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, and two edited volumes. In 2023, Uehling published Everyday War: The Conflict over Donbas, Ukraine, with Cornell University Press.
I cried, smiled with gratitude, and grieved alongside this book. As a Ukrainian from Crimea, reading it felt like reclaiming a lost piece of myself. The memories I had "forgotten" were gently unraveled in a delicate process of remembrance and mutual recognition. Each page offered me the missing fragments of my past and present, presented with such tenderness that they seamlessly wove back into the tapestry of my life.
- Elina Beketova, Democracy Fellow at Center for European Policy Analysis,
Greta Uehling manages to cover, in one sweep, many of the most pressing issues in the interpretation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. This includes, among others, the war's start in February 2014, Russia's quick annexation of Crimea, the experience of Crimeans of the preparation and start of Russia's full-scale of Ukraine in 2022, and the broader lessons from Crimea's experience since for the onogoing decolonization of Ukraine. This book is a must-read for everybody interested in the interplay between Ukrainian domestic affairs, Crimean Tatar history, and Russian neo-imperialism since 1991.
- Andreas Umland, Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies,
Twenty years after her first book, Uehling follows up with her interlocutors. This time, Crimea – occupied – is a different place and Crimean Tatars – dispersed and oppressed – offer a new story of resilience, resistance, and forbearance. In her nuanced, sensitive, and eloquent way, Uehling shares these Indigenous voices and raises important questions of recognition, Indigenous rights, and decoloniality.
- Mariia Shynkarenko, Institute for Human Studies,
Greta Uehling’s captivating storytelling provides poignant insights into the experiences of the people of Crimea, both those who fled Russian occupation, and those who remain on the peninsula. Her rich, ethnographically-grounded account illuminates constructions of indigeneity, homeland, national belonging, and the challenges of decolonization and war.
- Laada Bilaniuk, University of Washington, USA,
This is an ethnographically vibrant and animated depiction of the turbulent lives of Crimean Tartars. Uehling offers us a sympathetic portrait of a people wronged, vindicated, and wronged again, as well as a glimpse as to what the future holds for this strategically important indigenous people caught in the crosshairs of geopolitics and competing claims. A must read for anyone interested in the dynamics of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
- Catherine Wanner, author of Everyday Religioisty and the Politics of Belonging in Ukraine,
In the gripping aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Crimean peninsula became a battleground not just for geopolitical dominance but also for the very identity of its people. Before the world witnessed the full-scale invasion, the Crimean Tatars, an indigenous group, found themselves at the heart of a ruthless occupation. This riveting narrative unveils the untold stories of the Crimean Tatars, shedding light on their struggle for survival and identity in the face of Russian-backed authorities. Branded as "polite people," the Russian operatives orchestrated a swift and brutal crackdown on dissent, leaving the Crimean Tatars grappling with loss and dispossession.
In each chapter, this book immerses readers in different facets of the Crimean Tatars' journey—from resisting oppression to undergoing personal transformation. It argues that, contrary to being passive victims, the Crimean Tatars seized the occupation as an opportunity to challenge the established narrative of Soviet oppression.
Through poignant narratives of those who both remained and were displaced, the book traces the Crimean Tatars' path towards a new sense of belonging in Ukraine and reveals the complexity of occupation and displacement, demonstrating how the Crimean Tatars, while losing a way of life, discovered new ways of being in the world. As their narratives unfold, a compelling story emerges—one of resilience, transformation, and ultimately, the unwavering pursuit of freedom.
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Note on Translation and Transliteration
Preface
Introduction
The Alchemy of Adversity
A Settler Colonial Project
The Book’s Organizational Logic
Recognition
Cognitive Deoccupation
Chapter Overview
I. Part One: Historical Grounding
1. Crimea
Crimea in a Word
The Logic of Russia’s Occupation
Discrediting, displacing, and dispossessing Crimean Tatars
Crimea is Ukraine
Rethinking Regional History
The Hybrid Operation to Capture Crimea
The Unlawful Referendum
Passportization
Summary
2. Why Indigeneity Matters for Ukraine
The Basis of Indigenous Status in International Law
Indigenous Rights are Human Rights
Indigenous Rights are More Capacious than Minority Rights
The Case Against Indigenous Status
Indigenous Governance
When Elephants Fight: Indigeneity in Russia
The Other Elephant: Indigeneity in Ukraine
What Crimean Tatars Mean for Ukraine
Summary
II. Part Two: Unraveling
3. Displaced in Time and Space by the 2014 Occupation of Crimea
Displacement in Time and Space
A Return to the USSR
Dreams and Nightmares
“Like an Excursion to an Asylum”
“Like in a science fiction film”
Inverting Moral Hierarchies
Summary
4. Unraveling: Talk of Treason Divides Crimean Society
Everyday War
Accusations of Treason in Crimea: A Brief History
Political and Personal
Romantic Partner Relationships
Voting in the Referendum
Parents and Children
Friendship
Portraits of Stalin
Treason at Scale
Summary
III. Part Three: Coalescing
5. Making Crimean Tatars More Grievable: Mourning and Recognition through the 2016 Eurovision Contest
Meeting Jamala
The Politics of Pity and Recognition
The Song “1944:” What it Mourns
“Where’s Your Heart?”
An Apolitical Project
More Grievable Meant More Livable
The Contrast between Grief and Pity: Grief Builds Community
Raising Awareness
Now We Cannot Be Forgotten
The Album “Qirim”
Summary
6. Claiming Freedom
Oppression during the Soviet Period
Claiming Themselves
“I decided to change my life”
“You can say anything you want”
Civic Identity: “Head and Heart”
The National Context
The Cultivation of Freedom
New Narratives
Gradations of Freedom
Summary
IV. Part Four: Reclaiming
7. Barricading Crimea: Reclaiming Power, Territory, and History
Arriving at the Barricade
The Work of the Barricade
The Women’s Dormitory
Of Courage and Coloniality
The Imbalances are Structural
Mahatma Gandhi, Che Guevara, and the Political Subjectivity at the Barricade
The Dream
A Crimean Tatar Epistemology of History
Not Everyone Agreed with Non-State Armed Activism
After the Full Scale Invasion of Ukraine
Summary
8. Behind the Lines: Life in Occupied Crimea
The Pragmatic Value of Fear
Dulled Sensations
Staying in Crimea
The Graves of Our Ancestors
Debt to Living Elders and the Land
Politically Motivated Imprisonments
Military Conscription
A Principled Escape
Summary
V. Part Five: Critical Reflections
9. The Limits of Responsibility and Recognition
Responsibility without Blame
Mutual Recognition
Slavic IDPs
Recognition and Redistribution
Layers of Misrecognition
Summary
10. Final Chapter: By Way of Conclusion
The Phenomenological Experience of Occupation and Displacement
The Logic of Expropriation
More than Human: Healing Damaged Ecosystems
Summary
Appendix A: List of Interviewees
Appendix B: Research Methodology
Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Greta Uehling holds a PhD in anthropology and is a Teaching Professor for the Program in International and Comparatives Studies at the University of Michigan, where she leads seminars on human rights and humanitarian topics. She is also a Faculty Associate for the Center for Russian East European, and Eurasian Studies(CREEES). Dr. Uehling’s research is broadly concerned with war, conflict, and forced migration. Passionate about the rights of refugees and the internally displaced, she has held appointments at the UN High Commissioner for refugees and worked on issues of unaccompanied and undocumented minors in the United States. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, and two edited volumes. In 2023, Uehling published Everyday War: The Conflict over Donbas, Ukraine, with Cornell University Press.