Obalić mity, paradygmaty i dogmaty
Abolishing myths, paradigms and dogmas

Humanities in the face of the challenges of the Russian-Ukrainian hybrid war. Comments on the margin of Polish-Ukrainian cultural contacts

Author(s): Joanna Getka
Subject(s): Cultural history, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: myths; stereotypes; Russian-Ukrainian war; 24/02/2022; propaganda; soft power
Summary/Abstract: The article addresses the issue of myths that have been repeated in the Russian political discourse for years, which, according to the thesis presented in the text, constitute an ideological weapon and justify Russia’s military attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022. These myths exist on many levels, including the scientific one. The mythologized approach denies Ukrainians their own national identity, denies the existence of a separate cultural development of ‘two Ukrainian languages’ – eastern and western – and proclaims the thesis about the supposedly short history of the country and nation, which was allegedly created only thanks to Lenin, a theory not supported by the facts. Relying on source data on the development of the Ukrainian language and culture, the author argues against selected myths that have been used in Russian propaganda for years. These myths are established both in the West and in Ukraine, which makes it difficult to understand the continuity and distinctiveness of the development of Ukrainian culture. Access to knowledge makes the Russian policy of ‘gathering the Russian lands’ by soft (disinformation, propaganda) and ‘hard’ methods ineffective and unproductive. Hence the need to verify the circulating findings and versions of events, as well as scientific findings.

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