The Decolonial Glossary: A Platform for Critical Discourse on Decolonial Theory in Ukraine
Before the war in Ukraine little was known about Russian colonialism. Even after two years of conflict, many are still learning to understand the complex struggles underlying this war. Ukrainian artists, curators, and scholars have joined forces to expose and explain these power dynamics in a Ukrainian Decolonial Glossary. Domeniek Ruyters spoke with two of the initiators.”Our goal is to create a toolkit for fostering dialogue within Ukraine and beyond.”
What inspired you to establish this initiative, and how is it connected to BAK, where it was recently launched?
When the Russian invasion unfolded in 2022, understanding these power dynamics became essential to grasp Russia’s motivations and the lack of knowledge surrounding Ukraine and the power structures within the former USSR. The realization of the need for the Ukrainian Decolonial Glossary project arose during this tumultuous time. It became vital for us to foster both international and internal dialogues within Ukraine, as interest in decolonization skyrocketed following the re-invasion. So, we partnered with Ksi Prostir, a Ukrainian art space from Dnipro, and its founders Iva Naidenko and Nadiia Koval, to brainstorm ideas. This project is a joint effort between Ksi-Prostir and the Dutch organization Opora Foundation, founded by Ukrainians. The Ukrainian Decolonial Glossary is funded by the European Union under the House of Europe program.
Yuliia Elyas
For my master’s graduation project at HKU, I organized a panel discussion at BAK titled “Essential Labour for Survival.” Following this discussion, the idea of the Decolonial Glossary was born. The discussion was a critique of the existing order, and the glossary is a proposition to create a tangible tool that will help cultural workers rethink existing narratives surrounding Ukraine. I am currently advancing the glossary project during my fellowship for situated practice at BAK. Being part of the BAK fellowship helps contextualize our initiative within the global anti-imperialist struggle. The fellowship’s primary research focus is “Alignment/Nonalignment,” addressing questions of organization, positionality, and solidarity.
Our team initiated an open call for researchers from Ukraine—academics, artists, and curators—and selected 20 authors to write concise entries around 700 words on post-, anti-, and decolonial theories, situating these topics in the context of Ukraine. We unfortunately had to reject high-quality applications due to limited resources, But we aim to continue adding new articles in the future. This interdisciplinary project includes entries from linguists, art historians, artists, curators, and experts in comparative genocide studies and literature. For the glossary project, we organized seminars and feedback sessions for authors with invited guests like Tehmina Goskar, Botakoz Kyssembekova, Misho Antadze, and Maria Hlavajova.
Your platform aims to raise awareness about the colonial and imperial structures that Ukraine has experienced. It also suggests that the West has adopted a view on Ukraine influenced by Russian imperialism, continuing to see Ukraine as a buffer zone for its own security. Could you explain this background context a bit more? Why has colonial awareness been limited within Ukraine itself?
For a long time, knowledge about regions within the former USSR has been filtered through the epistemic lens of Russia. However, critiques within English-speaking academic literature about the dangerously distorted perspective of Western academia did not emerge only in response to the 2022 re-invasion. Voices like Zabuzhko, Moore, Tlosatnova, Chernetsky, and even Spivak had long warned about the threats of Russian imperialism. There are many approaches and strategies to unpack (and dismantle!) global power imbalances and their influence on our subjectivities. Still, we, as curators, believe that postcolonial and decolonial methodologies are the most powerful tools for this task. Therefore, we want to consolidate existing knowledge on Ukrainian resistance against Russian colonialism. As a curator, I encourage readers to check out the search terms “Borderlands” and “Eurocentrism” on the platform to understand Ukraine’s liminal position between ‘the West’ and Russia.
Yuliia Elyas
The discourse surrounding the Decolonial Glossary and its mission to raise awareness about colonial and imperial structures in Ukraine is rooted in both historical and present-day geopolitical dynamics. Ukraine’s complex history is characterized by periods of colonization and imperialism, having been under the rule of various empires such as the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout history, colonial awareness in Ukraine has been constrained by numerous factors. Primarily, imperial powers frequently suppressed indigenous cultures, languages, and histories to undermine a robust colonial consciousness.
During the Soviet era, there was a deliberate effort to promote a unified Soviet identity while suppressing regional identities and histories through a process known as Russification. This further obscured Ukraine’s colonial past and hindered discussions about it. Imperialists often operate through erasure, as illustrated by one of our authors, Lia Dostileva, in her article “Colonial Erasure.” Following Ukraine’s independence in 1991, the country faced numerous challenges, including economic instability, political corruption, and strong Russian influence. Russian-controlled media outlets and the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church exerted significant influence in Ukraine. The transition from a postcolonial condition to exploring decolonial options is brilliantly addressed by one of our authors, Svitlana Bedrayeva. She writes that the postcolonial condition ‘implies continuous revisions and recombinations of narratives rooted in the traumatic colonial past. It is, therefore, always backward-looking. The decolonial situation goes one step further by liberating from any colonialism-related elements and producing new, disentangled narratives that look not anymore at the past but at the present and into the future.’
Why did you choose a glossary format for the project? It seems quite conceptual and academic, given its emphasis on specific terms. As a visitor, do you need to have a specialized interest in critical thinking?
A glossary is a compilation of terms and their definitions within a specific subject. Our goal was to create a toolkit for fostering dialogue within Ukraine and beyond. The terms in our glossary serve to comprehend Ukraine’s history and global standing and establish a shared language for engaging with our past and present. We developed these tools for Ukrainian and English-speaking artists, historians, journalists, researchers, public figures, and activists.
Who contributed? It appears that primarily Ukrainian scholars and curators were involved.
Indeed, we prioritized situated knowledge, particularly from individuals deeply engaged with the Ukrainian context. However, we also invited contributors from various backgrounds to participate in our discussions while developing the articles. Addressing Russian imperialism requires acknowledging its profound impact on many individuals from former and current colonies. We also consider how we contextualize this imperialism in relation to other forms of imperialism.
Anastasiia Omelianiuk
Authors were selected through an open call process, which proved challenging because we received more than 80 multidisciplinary applications. For now, we decided to focus on existing concepts rather than accepting papers proposing new terms. Authors wrote their articles in Ukrainian, and they were later edited and translated into English by our excellent team (Viktoriia Grivina, Galyna Kotliuk, Clemens Poole). The glossary is bilingual. Discussing Ukrainian decolonization problems in Ukrainian is crucial for us, but we also recognize the significance of global solidarity and the opportunity to engage in a transnational conversation.
Who is your target audience? Whom do you want to reach?
Discussions on decolonization in Ukraine predate 2022, extending back to before 2014 and even into the 20th century (as detailed in the glossary). However, the 2022 invasion sparked a surge in the popularization of postcoloniality and decolonization outside academia. At the same time, critically engaging with these methodologies, rather than simply adopting or copying foreign experiences, has become increasingly important. We wanted to bring together Ukrainian thinkers already working with these theories. Our target audience includes cultural workers, researchers, thinkers, and anyone interested in critical conversations about global power imbalances, colonialism, and strategies to counter them, as well as issues concerning Ukraine and Russian imperialism.
How is the discourse progressing? What terms does it currently encompass, and what can we expect in the future? Are there specific activities planned to initiate dialogue?
Several initiatives have been undertaken to promote dialogue and engagement. These include meetings with authors, feedback sessions, literature exchanges, and presentations of the project at BAK. Our presentation at BAK is available for viewing on our website or on YouTube. Upcoming events, such as the panel discussion organized by Yuriy Boyko, Vtiche Berlin, and Bard College, as well as the planned event with the Historical Museum of Yavornitsky in Dnipro, Ukraine, demonstrate our ongoing effort to expand the glossary’s reach and engage diverse audiences.
Go to the Decolonial Glossary HERE
Domeniek Ruyters
is hoofdredacteur van Metropolis M
