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Browsing by Subject "Ukraine"

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  • Identity in Crisis : Russophone Identity in post-Maidan Kharkov 
    Audley, Andrew (2019)
    This research explores the themes of identity, particularly Russophone identity in Kharkov, Ukraine. It explores the formation, salience, and gradation of this identity with regards to Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory. Furthermore this research explores the response and understanding of different events in Ukraine's recent history in relation to different identities. It also aims to explore potential futures of the Russophone identity in Kharkov, as well as aspects of Ukrainianisation. This research concludes that Social-Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory alone are not sufficient to explain the development and existence of Russophone identity in Kharkov. Finally, this research shows that there is a direct link between identity and understanding of the Ukraine Crisis, perceived threat, and future directions in Kharkov. This research further postulates that Russophone identity will increasingly be threatened within Ukraine, that could lead to further problems and division, and will likely lead to push-back.
  • The Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations Influencing Blind and Visually Impaired Ukrainian Refugees and Internally Displaced People During the Ukrainian Crisis 
    Wheeler, Laurel (2022)
    This thesis uses motivation theory to examine the primary extrinsic and intrinsic motivators influencing blind and visually impaired Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced people as they make decisions in the midst of the Ukraine crisis. Blind and visually impaired Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced people were interviewed face to face in Poland as well as through email and social media. Data was gathered detailing the types of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations that influenced their decisions to become refugees or remain internally displaced in Ukraine. Data was also gathered regarding their experiences as blind and visually impaired Ukrainians, their interactions with the systems, resources and processes in place designed to assist Ukrainians during this conflict, and their expectations for the future. This thesis found that factors such as trust and fear can cause extrinsic motivations to function as intrinsic ones, and can also cause intrinsic motivations to shift into extrinsic motivations. These motivations can function opposite in the lives of the blind and visually impaired as they do in the lives of sighted Ukrainians. This thesis also identified the primary extrinsic and intrinsic motivators that blind and visually impaired Ukrainians described which influenced their decision making.
  • The Language of War : Framing Enemy Images in Russian Online Media 
    Datsko, Oleh-Semen (2020)
    This Master's thesis examines the language manipulations used by Russian online media to create enemy images that are essential for justifying armed aggression. The study explores the issues emerging in the discourse on information warfare and mass-manipulation in the context of the conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The purpose of this research is to explore how and why Russian state-funded media used the rhetorics to influence the audience's attitudes towards Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation, and to evaluate if such manipulation can be recognized as propaganda. This study addresses the gap in current knowledge on a rhetorical angle of enemy creation in Russian online media. This research is the first to apply the theoretical concepts of enemy images and propaganda devices to the process model of framing research developed by Dietram A. Scheufele. This theoretical approach allowed to address the framing of enemy images by state propaganda. The empirical data of this research consists of sixteen online publications from two state-funded media organizations in Russia: international network RT and the information agency Rossiya Segodnia, which includes subsidiaries RIA Novosti and Sputnik. Rhetorical frame analysis was applied in this research. The in-depth critical nature allowed to identify the key elements and techniques of enmity framing in the analyzed publications. The findings of this study confirm the hypothesis that the Russian state-funded online media indeed do work as a body of state propaganda. As earlier research suggests, they did play a crucial role in the info-warfare campaigns preceding and during Russian military operations in Crimea and Donbas by manipulating and distorting information to frame Kremlin's agenda, creating and reinforcing enemy images, spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories that resonated with the state's position. This research contributes to the pool of investigations that expose a strong Kremlin's commitment to information warfare on many fronts. It confirms that the creation of enemy images is vital for the justification of military aggression. Lastly, it proves that even though modern state propaganda is a highly sophisticated, data-driven powerhouse, on a rhetorical level, it still uses the same techniques as 100 years ago.

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