CBEES Seminar with Sergii Pakhomenko and Alona Bilokon

Welcome to the CBEES seminar where Ukrainian Research Fellowship guest researchers will present their work. The seminar will feature presentations by Sergii Pakhomenko and Alona Bilokon.

Sergii Pakhomenko, researcher at the Mariupol State University, now based in Kyiv

Decolonisation in Ukraine’s memory politics: security motives, anticolonial logic and local controversies

In this paper, I examine the state policy of decolonisation in Ukraine as a component of contemporary memory politics, which is being shaped in the context of the full-scale Russian aggression. Although decolonial discourse in Ukraine is unfolding in various spheres — culture, art, museum practices, public history, as well as in the processes of decolonising academic knowledge — I focus specifically on decolonisation as a normatively regulated memory policy, enshrined in legislation and implemented through state institutions and local self-government bodies. In practice, this policy is primarily implemented in the field of toponymy and the symbolic redefinition of public space, focusing on ridding it of its Russian imperial and Soviet heritage, and is carried out with the involvement of the public, who participate in consultations, initiatives, and public discussions.

My research demonstrates how the decolonisation dimension of historical policy aligns with the discourse on mnemonic securitisation, which entails “securing certain historical memories by delegitimising… or criminalising others” (M. Mälksoo). Drawing on postcolonial theory, securitisation theory, and discourse analysis, I highlight the complex interplay between security imperatives, ideological motives, and identity politics that shape Ukraine’s current memory landscape.

Building on this, since 2022, Ukraine’s memory politics have taken an anti-colonial turn, prioritising a Ukrainian-centric perspective and reducing the scope for mnemonic hybridity. On the one hand, this shift can be understood as a response to the ideological framing of Russian aggression, but on the other, it sometimes creates tension between the securitised national narrative and locally rooted forms of mnemonic ambivalence. The city of Odesa serves as a case study illustrating these dynamics — a site where imperial, Ukrainian, Soviet, and post-Soviet legacies intersect, revealing the difficulties of reconciling national and local frameworks of memory within Ukraine’s current decolonisation agenda.

Alona Bilokon, researcher at Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Mykolaiv

Energy Transition and Energy Security: The Ukrainian Case

While Sweden and other EU countries have been navigating a transition towards renewable energy, Ukraine is facing an energy disruption that necessitates rapid and innovative adaptation. Energy security has emerged as a key issue in geopolitical discussions, further emphasizing the need for resilient and sustainable energy systems. The main aim of this cutting-edge project is to bridge these two experiences, EU energy transition and Ukraine’s energy disruption, by analyzing how energy systems adapt under unstable conditions and by identifying lessons for long-term sustainability.