ABSTRACT
National Identity building in Ukraine is taking place at three levels. At the micro level, Ukrainian national consciousness is growing among individuals, though with great regional variation. At the macro level, a new Ukrainian political community is being created in terms of the symbols and discourses used by the state and mass media, Finally, at the international level, Ukraine has been accepted as an independent state distinct from Russia, implying that Ukraine's inhabitants are distinct from Russians. The chapter discusses the historical legacy in Ukraine of nationality policies implemented by external powers. It looks at the record of nation building in Ukraine in the Kravchuk and Kuchma eras by comparing and contrasting their policies and tracing outlines of a growing consensus among Ukraine's elites. The chapter examines border questions, regionalism, Crimean separatism and historiography, myths and legends as elements of the nation-building project, and the socialization of Ukrainian citizens within its polity and society.
