GRANTEE
V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University
Assistant Professor
The objective of the research is to find out the specifics of the creation, spread, and perception of different symbols and emblems (relevant to Ukrainian and Russian official discourse and mass culture-images, memes, slogans etc.) and symbolic and ritual practices (youth flashmobs, anti-war protests, commemorative practices, etc.) related to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, beginning in February 2022.
In this project, I rely on research strategies developed in visual and cultural studies. Based on the semiotic approach, I will attempt to decode the symbolic space of Russian military aggression against Ukraine as part of the information war, Russian propaganda, and Ukrainian and Russian media and mass culture. I will navigate the observation of individual symbolic forms (loci, actions, texts, symbolism) towards tracing the interpretations of symbolic and ritual practices and determining their influence on the genesis of civil identity.