UDC 329.733:351.858(=161.2)-053. COMPETITIVE SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN OVERCOMING THE MILITARY THREAT TO THE STATE OF UKRAINE (2014–2023) AS A FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL IDENTITY OF THE UKRAINIAN YOUTH
DOI https://doi.org/10.51706/2707-3076-2023-9-4
Abstract
The role of relayers of social integration dynamics and processes of national identity formation for young
Ukrainians belongs to higher education institutions, which, thanks to their internal mechanisms, ensure the
effectiveness of factors of identifying influence, such as: socio-cultural activity of higher education institutions,
raising the prestige and role of the Ukrainian language, development of Ukrainian studies competence,
intercultural communication within the framework of inter-university cooperation, remote (distance) learning and
others. Against the background of the military threat to Ukraine's statehood in 2014-2023 and the intensification
of competitive social integration processes, these factors have gained significant strength, and the depth of
national identification processes of young people has dramatically changed. Therefore, the events of 2014 and
2022 can be considered bifurcation points, and therefore stages of the formation of the identity of Ukrainian
society. Understanding the essence and content of the competitive social integration process in the period 2014-
2023 makes it possible to single out its essential features: national self-identification of the population of Ukraine
regardless of social category and stratum; linguistic self-identification; cohesion (around a common idea and/or
in the fight against a common enemy) and segregation from "others, strangers"; joint understanding of threats
to national security (external and internal); optimism in assessing the common future; solidarity of tastes. These
signs have no age restrictions in their manifestation, so they are representative in the youth student environment.
The results of the measurement carried out by us in June 2023 confirmed this statement, because we found the
presence of such signs of the bifurcation nature of social integration processes in 2022, namely: a significant
increase in the sense of self as Ukrainians, giving special importance to such national traits as freedom-loving,
hardworking and activity, growth of a valuable attitude towards Ukrainianness, which is expressed in a positive attitude towards the Ukrainian language, culture, territory, traditions, history, customs, etc., growth of awareness
about Ukraine, the Ukrainian nation, Ukrainian culture. Comparative measurement of the degree of influence of
the competitive social-integrating process on the development of national identity among Ukrainian student youth
was carried out based on the results of questionnaires conducted in December 2021 and June 2022 and
revealed that (1) the ability of young people to identify the most relevant issues for solving social problems and
further plans for living in Ukraine. (2) The vision of students regarding the ways of their own participation in
solving socially significant problems was moderately positively influenced; the desire to expand awareness of
culture, history, customs and initiate the search for information about socio-cultural processes in Ukraine
