Abstract
While far-right groups in Ukraine received global media coverage during the mass protests of 2014 and the subsequent conflict in the east of the country, the role of religion within these communities remains understudied. This thesis seeks to fill this void in scholarship by asking three interrelated questions. To what extent do group elites utilise sacred rhetoric, and how is this rhetoric received by party supporters? To what extent does religious faith sustain a sense of shared identity for the members and supporters of these groups? How significant is personal faith for the coping mechanisms of group-affiliated paramilitary soldiers? These questions offer a tri-focal lens through which to study the socio-political and psychological architectures of the three largest far-right communities active today: Svoboda, Right Sector, and the National Corps.Built on extensive fieldwork during 2017 and 2018, this thesis sheds new light on the people behind the headlines. It draws on over one hundred hours of interviews with the leaders, members, and supporters of the groups under study to show how the Ukrainian far right instrumentalises religion for political gain, how (semi-)religious events promote the development of a collective group consciousness, and how paramilitary soldiers draw upon their religious belief and practices to cope with the pressures of frontline combat. It argues that religion provides many of those associated with the far right a sense of existential significance, and the periodic re-animation of this sense of significance can inspire long-term motivation and intra-group loyalty. Whilst this study is specific to the Ukrainian context, its findings can inform the study of far-right groups worldwide.
| Date of Award | 1 Apr 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Marat Shterin (Supervisor) |