Nicolai N. Petro

The Tragedy of Ukraine: What Classical Greek Tragedy Can Teach Us About Conflict Resolution - De Gruyter Contemporary Social Sciences Nicolai N. Petro

The conflict in Ukraine has deep domestic roots. A third of the population, primarily in the East and South, regards its own Russian cultural identity as entirely compatible with a Ukrainian civic identity. The state is reluctant to recognize this ethnos as a legitimate part of the modern Ukrainian nation, creating a tragic cycle that entangles Ukrainian politics.



The Tragedy of Ukraine argues that in order to untangle the conflict within the Ukraine, the problems must be regarded as emotional, as much as they are institutional. It draws on Lebrow's 'tragic vision of politics' to demonstrate how the conflict is an indigenous and recurring cause, rather than one that simply ends if Russia withdraws. The volume draws on classical Greek tragedy to assist in understanding the persistence, and resolution, of this conflict. Classical Greek tragedy served as a mechanism in Athenian society to heal deep social trauma and create more just institutions. The Tragedy of Ukraine reflects on the ways in which ancient Greek tragedy can help us rethink civic conflict and polarization, as well as model ways of healing division for modern democracies.
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