The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Second edition

by Andrew Wilson

Release Date: 01 June, 2002

Edition: Paperback

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Cautionary note

Clearly, Wilson's book may not be ignored by anyone who who is interested in the pesky "Ukrainian Question." One must admire his scope (from antiquity to the present, post-Soviet Ukraine--one half of the book is dedicated to post 1991 Ukraine)and the depth of his research. Its greatest merit lies in that it offers an "outsider's" perspective to the traditional russocentric or "nationalistic" readings of the Ukrainian history and identity. On the other hand, its explicit agenda to "debunk myths" and to "set the record straight" proves somewhat too facile and, ultimately, unfair. It is not that Ukrainians are devoid of "mythologies" or that the current post-Soviet Ukrainian elites are not prone to create new myths. But so what? Ukraine's "elder brother," Putin's Russia (or, for that matter, George Bush's U.S.A) does not subscribe to persistent national mythologies. Wilson is correct in sending warning salvos against various self-seving interpretations of the Ukrainian by some national historians, but his determination to completely "de-construct" Ukrainian nationality leads to a dead-end. Thus, despite the many details and frequent insights, in the end Wilson fails to resolve the very question which he set to analyze: what is a "Ukrainian?" This is a central issue that goes beyond Wilson's personal academic interest, inasmuch some 300 years of Russian imperial control, cultural and linguistic repressions, and territorial fragmentation still haunt the national Ukrainian psyche. Timely as this book is, it only raises more questions, which the author fails to resolve with such rhetorical stunts as "supposedly," "could" and "should." That is intellectual cheating.

The reader, therefore, should read this book not only with interest but also with great care and not be swayed by its breezy
prose, implied objectivity and casual arrogance. Even those previous reviewers, whose disdain for President Kuchma and his cronies I fully share, should balance Wilson's model of Ukrainian nationhood with alternate narratives. This is a good book, but it should not be considered definitive.

Well-written and Comprehensive On Current Events

I believe this book was very well-written and fair in its evaluation of Ukrainian history. I based these comments in part on my Ukrainian descent; and my travels and discussions with Ukrainian citizens. The book does a better(and excellent) job of reviewing fairly recent events in Ukrainian politics and demographics; than it does in reviewing Ukrainian history - but that appears to be intentional. As an American, I noticed what appeared to be British colloquialisms in several places that I didn't understand.