Ukraine Becoming: Identity Quest and Wayfinding Europe examines how national identity narratives shaped Ukraine’s foreign policy in the two decades after regaining independence. Challenging the dominant view of Ukraine as a country torn between East and West—or reacting solely to external pressures—the book argues that Ukraine’s pro-European orientation was the result of a long and internally driven process of identity “wayfinding.” Ukrainians did not suddenly feel European after the events of 2014, nor even after the 2022 invasion. Rather, the roots of Ukraine’s European choice lie in domestic debates, cultural expressions, and political visions that developed steadily between 1994 and 2014.
Grounded in a decolonial and interpretivist framework, the book draws on discourse analysis, narrative theory, and constructivist approaches to international relations. It investigates how key identity narratives, produced by politicians, cultural figures, journalists, and institutions shaped the country's foreign policy orientation. Sources include presidential speeches, policy documents, political interviews, cultural texts (films, music, public campaigns), and media coverage from both national and regional outlets.
Structured chronologically and thematically, the book focuses on pivotal periods and figures: from early post-independence uncertainty and the Kuchma era, through the Orange Revolution and its aftermath, to the growing rift with Russia after 2010. It traces how the idea of “Europe” evolved from a geopolitical aspiration into a symbol of national self-understanding.
The book includes original figures and tables that illustrate shifts in foreign policy language, regional discursive trends, and narrative framing across time. By foregrounding the domestic construction of geopolitical direction, Ukraine Becoming reframes how scholars understand identity, agency, and foreign policy in Ukraine, and offers a counter-narrative to reductionist models that see Ukrainian choices as merely reactions to Russian aggression or Western influence.