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79630-01 - Practical course: From Dissidents to Pride Marches: Protest, Social Movements, and Democracy in Ukraine (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Maryna Shevtsova (maryna.shevtsova@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course explores the vibrant history of protest, civil society, and social movements in Ukraine from the late Soviet era to the present day. Rather than viewing Ukraine solely through the lens of geopolitics or Russia’s imperial legacy culminating in full-scale invasion of 2022, the course aims to center the voices of those who have challenged state power, demanded rights, and reimagined the boundaries of national belonging. Through case studies ranging from the shestydesyatnyky and dissident movements of the 1960s to Euromaidan, feminist protests, LGBTQ+ activism, and anti-corruption campaigns, students will have the opportunity to trace the shifting dynamics of resistance, political imagination, and social transformation. Drawing from history, sociology, gender studies, and political science, the course will engage with key theoretical questions: What constitutes a protest movement? How do forms of dissent change across political regimes? How do gender, sexuality, and class shape who gets to protest—and how? What is the role of memory, trauma, and war in social mobilization? Through films, manifestos, academic texts, analytical reports, and digital ethnography, students will critically examine Ukraine as a site of democratic struggle and cultural innovation. By the end of the course, students will be able to: • Analyze key protest movements in Ukrainian history and their socio-political contexts. • Understand how civil society developed under and after Soviet rule. • Critically assess how identity (gender, sexuality, class, region) shapes social mobilization. • Reflect on the role of memory, war, and trauma in shaping political agency. • Compare Ukrainian protest movements to broader global trends. |
| Bibliography | • della Porta, D. & Diani, M. (2006). The Oxford Handbook of Social Movements (selected chapters). • Tilly, C. & Tarrow, S. (2015). Contentious Politics (selected chapters). • Bellezza, S. A. (2019). “The ‘Transnationalization’ of Ukrainian Dissent…” Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History. • Arndt, M. (2022). “Environmentalism or Sausages? Politicizing the Environment in the Late Soviet Union.” European History Quarterly. • Dawson, J. I. (1995). Anti-nuclear activism in the USSR and its successor states. Environmental Politics. • Kuzio, T. (2005). Ukraine’s Orange Revolution: The Opposition’s Road to Success. Journal of Democracy. • Onuch, O. (2011). Why did they join en masse? Understanding participation in mass mobilisation in 2004. Nowa Ukraina. • Onuch, O. & Martsenyuk, T. (2014). Mothers and Daughters of the Maidan. • Burlyuk, O., Shapovalova, N., & Zarembo, K. (2017). Civil Society in Ukraine: Building on Euromaidan Legacy. • Zarembo, K. & Martin, E. (2023). Civil society and sense of community in Ukraine. European Societies. • Phillips, S. D. & Martsenyuk, T. (2023). Women’s agency and resistance in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Women’s Studies International Forum. • Shevtsova, M. (2020). Fighting “Gayropa”. Problems of Post-Communism. • Hendl, T. et al. (2023). (En)Countering epistemic imperialism. Contemporary Security Policy. • Törnquist-Plewa, B. & Yurchuk, Y. (2019). Memory politics in contemporary Ukraine. Memory Studies. |
| Admission requirements | Studierende der Geschichte aller Studienstufen sowie Studierende anderer Studienfächer, in deren Module die Übung verknüpft ist. Bei Überbelegung werden Studierende der Geschichte bevorzugt zugelassen. |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 17.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 24.09.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 01.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 08.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 15.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 22.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 29.10.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 05.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 12.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 19.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 26.11.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 03.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 10.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Thursday 17.12.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 4 |
| Modules |
Electives Bachelor History: Recommendations (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul: Areas: Osteuropa (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Basis Osteuropäische Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Eastern European Studies) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree program: Eastern European Studies) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree subject: Eastern European Cultures) Modul: Osteuropäische Geschichte: Räume und Epochen (Master's degree subject: East European History) Modul: Spezialisierung «Geschichte und Polititsche Bildung» (Master's Studies: Subject-Specific Teaching and Learning) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Module: Extension Social Sciences (Master's degree subject: Political Science – Inequality, Power, Conflict) Module: Extension Social Sciences BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Topics and Debates in Gender Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: Gender Studies) Wahlbereich Master Geschichte: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Departement Geschichte |