Lecture “Transatlantic Youth Activism of Young Ukrainian Immigrants”

The presentation will explore the transnational activism of young Ukrainian immigrants in the United States during and after the Euromaidan protests and their contribution to democratization of Ukraine from abroad. While the existing research details the influence of the Ukrainian diaspora on the democratic development of Ukraine, especially since the proclamation of its independence (Koinova, 2009; Satzewich, 2002), it rarely discusses whether and how young Ukrainians who emigrated to the United States in the last two decades have contributed to the democratization of their homeland from abroad. Drawing on the transnational activism literature (Faist, 2010; Levitt & Jaworsky, 2007; Smith & Guarnizo, 1998), this presentation will highlight motivations of young Ukrainian immigrants to engage and support the Euromaidan movement from abroad; the diversity of strategies they employed to enable political, economic, and social change during and after the Euromaidan; and the subsequent impact they created in Ukraine and the United States. The presentation will draw on a qualitative case study that examined the non-profit organization Razom, which was established by a group of young Ukrainians in New York City in the wake of Euromaidan in December 2013 to support democracy, human rights, and social justice in Ukraine