Greta Lynn Uehling's "Decolonizing Ukraine"

Greta Uehling is an anthropologist who specializes in the study of war, conflict, and population displacement. A professor at the University of Michigan, she teaches seminars on human rights and humanitarianism for the Program in International and Comparative Studies.

Her new book, Decolonizing Ukraine: How the Indigenous People of Crimea Remade Themselves after Russian Occupation, shows readers how understanding Crimea is essential for understanding Ukraine — and the war with Russia — today.

Uehling applied the "Page 99 Test" to Decolonizing Ukraine, with the following results:

Page 99 finds me, the author, sitting on a rough-hewn bench in the back room of a community center, interviewing singer songwriter and Eurovision winner, Jamala. Her winning song is about her people’s 1944 deportation according to an order by Stalin.

The lyrics describe her great grandmother’s realization that her infant daughter has died in the crowded deportation train car. The song broke a previously enforced silence surrounding deportation and raised awareness about the event, now recognized by the government of Ukraine as genocide.

Page 99 is part of an entire chapter devoted to Jamala because as a representative of a Muslim Indigenous group, the Crimean Tatars, she was a major catalyst in the process of Ukrainian national identity becoming more accepting of ethnic and religious diversity.

The victory was significant, I explain, because it provided an opportunity to collectively acknowledge past injustices and grieve human losses in ways that had been impossible before. Music harnesses the power of empathy to heal communities and build empathy.

I link my discussion of Jamala to processes that took place in the United States following the murder of George Floyd, which led Americans to more deeply reckon with racial hierarchies and discrimination in the United States.

This discussion, grounded in philosopher Charles Taylor’s adaptation of Hegel, highlights that recognition of one’s identity by others is a vital human need.

A reader opening to page 99 would gain a clear sense of the style and methodology of the work as a whole. They would quickly see that my approach relies on primary sources. As a cultural anthropologist, I conducted 90 one-on-one interviews over a three-year period in locations across Ukraine to write the book, and my interview with Jamala is one of them.

A reader would also observe that the book interweaves my personal experiences of conducting fieldwork into the broader narrative. As an ethnographer, the process of uncovering the story is itself an integral part of the story I tell.

This page explores the power of collective grieving as a catalyst for social solidarity, a theme that resonates throughout the book, where emotions are central to the analysis. In other chapters, readers encounter emotions such as fear, hatred, and empathy, each playing a critical role in shaping political and social dynamics.

Finally, the page introduces the concept of recognition, emphasizing its significance in Indigenous struggles for self-determination, which have largely been framed through the lens of being seen, heard, and acknowledged.

A reader turning to page 99, however, would not encounter the book’s overarching argument. They would also lack essential contextual information—such as who the Crimean Tatars are, what it means to be Indigenous, and why Indigeneity holds particular significance in contemporary Ukraine.

In summary, the browser’s test offers a certain degree of usefulness, particularly in giving readers a glimpse of the book’s style, methodology, and thematic concerns. However, it does not convey the overarching argument of the work, nor does it provide key background information necessary for fully understanding the broader context and significance of the narrative.

Decolonizing Ukraine brings readers into the lives of the Ukrainians, Russians, and Crimean Tatars who opposed Russia’s takeover of Crimea, many of whom fled for government-controlled Ukraine. I focus in particular on the Crimean Tatars because they were disproportionately affected by Russian occupation, and I believe their experiences offer a unique vantage point on Ukraine.

As a whole, the book opens a window onto how a historically disadvantaged group, that had been vilified and demonized for centuries, not only survives repeated episodes of ethnic cleansing but succeeds in transforming how they view themselves and how they are viewed by others, thereby gaining more meaningful social inclusion and political power in Ukraine.

Visit Greta Uehling's website.

The Page 99 Test: Everyday War.

--Marshal Zeringue