Revolution of Dignity Project

Religious Revolution

Ukraine experienced a period of active secularization and aggressive atheistic propaganda under the Soviet regime, and then an intensive religious Renaissance since its independence in 1991. These processes made a unique imprint on Ukraine’s religious landscape. Many researchers agree that Ukraine is the most religiously pluralistic society in Europe. It escapes the typical format of its neighboring European countries and Russia, which have one dominant national church and religious minorities. Ukraine supports unrivaled religious pluralism with its liberal legislation, which grants freedom for the development of the religious market and competition.

Transfer of Ukrainian Orthodox Parishes

This map examines the transfer of Ukrainian Orthodox parishes under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate to the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The transition process gained momentum after the official creation of the OCU at the Church Council in Kyiv in December 2018, accelerating upon the receipt of a Tomos, or decree of autocephaly, from the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Our map presents not only the geographic dimension of the process, but also how it has developed over time (from December 16, 2018, to March 17, 2019). Data for this map was provided by the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU) team at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.

About the History and Identity Module

The 'History and Identity' module as part of the MAPA program aims to contribute to a reconceptualization of regionalism in Ukraine. The project uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to map and analyze sociological data. Mapping data on the region (oblast) level avoids arbitrary scaling into predefined macro-regions, and allows researchers to explore and explain intraregional and cross-regional differences and similarities in the changing social and political context of 2013 and 2015 Ukraine. The “History and Identity” project contributes to the comparative cross-regional analysis of identities and historical memory in today’s Ukraine using the most recent sociological survey data.

About the Language Module

The language issue in Ukraine has long historical roots, and even after Ukraine’s independence it remained in the center of the nation- and state-building processes. Different political parties often used language tensions for political mobilization or to draw imagined regional divisions. It also served as an important marker in defining cultural and national identities or allegiances. However, after the Euromaidan it took on a new dimension. Fueled by the Revolution of Dignity, subsequent annexation of Crimea, and ensuing war, the changes in Ukraine’s sociolinguistic landscape were not so unidirectional.

Revolution of Dignity Web Map

To facilitate this scholarship, web maps present geographic information in an interactive display that can be used to tell stories and answer questions.