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« 2026. # 4 (190)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 4 (190), 1044—1055

UDK 94 (477)+316.42/7:323.1/.9+069:930.85 (045)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

  • Received: 20.05.2026
  • Accepted: 25.05.2026
  • Published: ??.??.2026

«DECOLONIZATION» AT THE ACTUAL PRACTICE OF UKRAINIAN MUSEUM ACTIVITY: ATTITUDES AND PERSPECTIVES

KUSHNIR Vitalii

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8809-0108
  • Candidate of Historical Science,
  • Senior Research Fellow,
  • Museum of Ethnography and Art Crafts
  • The Institute of Ethnology of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine,
  • 15, Svobody ave., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: vitaliy_val@ukr.net

Abstract. Today, initiatives aimed at «decolonizing» the public sphe­re  — removing names and other markers of the Russian imperial presence — have generated significant attention in Ukraine’s cultural and social life, partly as a continuation of the decommunization efforts of previous years. Although these efforts focus primarily on toponymy and other commemorative elements, museums are also involved in such activities. This prompts the museum community to discuss the content and goals of «decolonization» in museum work. Its implementation in the spirit of «cleansing» the museum space of all things Russian leads to the formation of what is essentially a distorted image of Ukraine’s multifaceted and contradictory past. At the same time, its current Ukrainian narrative must align with the goals of civic consolidation in the face of the Russian invasion, as well as democratic and pro-European paths of development, thereby highlighting the relevant components of the national cultural and political heritage.

The aim of this work is to highlight and analyze the practical measures currently being implemented to decolonize Ukrainian museology, identify the associated contradictions, and outline possible prospects for further progress.

The chronological scope of the study primarily covers the period after 2022, when the law on decolonization came into effect, with occasional retrospectives on the period after 2014.

The research methodology is based on the complex of a number of principles and methods of museology and historical research, in particular, the comparative method, the principle of historicism. To achieve the stated objective, source-study, and the method of systematization of obtained data and results were also employed.

Keywords: museums, museology, decolonization, derussification, historical memory.

REFERENCES

  • Law of Ukraine «On the Condemnation and Prohibition of Propaganda of Russian Imperial Policy and the Decolonization of Toponymy». Retrieved from: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3005-20#Text [in Ukrainian].
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  • The Lens of Decolonization: How Book Museums Must Change. Retrieved from: https://chytomo.com/optyka-dekolonizatsii-iak-maiut-zminytysia-muzei-knyhy/ 04/05/2023 [in Ukrainian].
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  • New narratives and the future of Ukrainian museums were discussed at an international conference in Warsaw. Retrieved from: https://history.rayon.in.ua/news/7578 [in Ukrainian].
  • How to Live with Our Past — How to Build Our Future. 10 Perspectives from Ukrainian Museums on Decolonization and Their Future Work. Retrieved from: https://www.obmin.eu/download/10_Thoughts_from_Ukrainian_Museums_UKR.pdf [in Ukrainian].
  • (2023,March 2). Derussification: Kyiv authorities have transformed the Pushkin Museum into «The Estate on Kudriavka». Retrieved from: https://www.dsnews.ua/ukr/society/derusifikaciya-kievskaya-vlast-prevratila-muzey-pushkina-v-usadbu-na-kudryavce-02032023-475320 [in Ukrainian].
  • Peshko, K. (2023, November 15). The largest monument to Pushkin was demolished in Kyiv. What do Kyiv residents think about this? Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c72rnle7pvro [in Ukrainian].
  • Kalyuzhna, S. (2024, December 9). In Kamianets, Cherkasy Oblast, a monument to Pushkin was doused with red paint. Retrieved from: https://suspilne.media/cherkasy/898611-u-kamanci-na-cerkasini-pamatnik-puskinu-oblili-cervonou-farbou/ [in Ukrainian].
  • (2025,October 10). In Odesa, a monument to Pushkin, which was supposed to be dismantled, was covered with wooden panels. Retrieved from: https://novynarnia.com/2025/10/30/v-odesi-pamyatnyk-pushkinu-yakyj-maly-demontuvaty-zakryly-derevyanymy-plytamy/ [in Ukrainian].
  • Kikhtenko, V. (2022, December 31). 28 Pushkin monuments were demolished. How many monuments have been «derussified» in Ukraine — Minkult. Retrieved from: https://www.village.com.ua/village/city/city-news/334655-znesli-28-pam-yatnikiv-pushkinu-skilki-pam-yatnikiv-derusifikuvali-v-ukrayini-minkult [in Ukrainian].
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  • (2024, April 26). Two museums in the Kirovohrad region are being decommunized. Retrieved from: https://persha.kr.ua/news/life/247751-na-kirovogradshhyni-dekomunizuyut-dva-muzeyi/ [in Ukrainian].
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  • (2026, January 20). The city authorities of Kamianka refused to dismantle the monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Retrieved from: https://ildana.tv/post/miska-vlada-kam-yanki-vidmovilasya-demontuvati-pam-yatnik-rosiyskomu-poetu-oleksandru-pushkinu-video [in Ukrainian].
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  • Gorlach, P. (2026, January 30). The museum continues its decolonization efforts — Russian-language inscriptions have been removed from the sculpture gallery. Retrieved from: https://suspilne.media/culture/1227459-muzej-vijni-prodovzue-dekolonizaciu-demontovano-rosijskomovni-napisi-zi-skulpturnoi-galerei/ [in Ukrainian].
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