Political Reforms in Ukraine and Their Effects on Social Cohesion—A Conceptualization

Ukraine, with its multiple and overlapping identities, is an instructive case for studying how ethnicity, language and regional-local identity interact. How have recent reforms affected the social cohesion among Ukraine’s ethno-cultural groups? This introductory chapter provides an overarching analytical framework that understands social cohesion as fluid and dynamic. It discusses the effects of recent decentralization as well as language and education reforms, which have the potential for reshaping the state of intergroup relations in Ukraine. Particular emphasis is placed on political parties as collective actors, as well as the relevance of Ukraine’s complicated geopolitical context. By discussing the case of Ukraine within the broader literature on social cohesion, this chapter also contributes to comparative research on diversity management and territorial politics.