Without the State: Self-Organization and Political Activism in Ukraine

by Emily Channell-Justice

Without the State explores the 2013–14 Euromaidan protests – a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine – through in-depth ethnographic research with leftist, feminist, and student activists in Kyiv. The book discusses the concept of "self-organization" and the notion that if something needs to be done and a person has the competence to do it, then they should simply do it. Emily Channell-Justice reveals how self-organization in Ukraine came out of leftist practices but actors from across the spectrum of political views also adopted self-organization over the course of Euromaidan, including far-right groups. The widespread adoption of self-organization encouraged Ukrainians to rethink their expectations of the relationship between citizens and their state. The book explains how self-organized practices have changed people’s views on what they think they can contribute to their own communities, and in the wake of Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has also motivated new networks of mutual aid within Ukraine and beyond. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, including the author’s first-hand experience of the entirety of the Euromaidan protests, Without the State provides a unique analytical account of this crucial moment in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history.

302 pages, Hardcover

Published December 7, 2022

Reviews

[Klarissa Kronschnabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have an interest in Ukrainian area studies or are looking to better educate yourself in major concepts which underpin Ukrainian civil organization--a topic which has become increasingly relevant in light of the current Russian invasion--this is the book for you; Channell-Justice's narration is insightful, tenacious, and exceedingly well-informed. I highly encourage those looking to learn more about EuroMaidan and similar topics to choose ethnographies and articles penned by anthropologists based in Ukraine at the time of these events, as they offer an immediacy that many of those written abroad do not.

Additionally, I was fortunate enough to have Channell-Justice speak at one of my undergrad anthropology lectures; aside from being a wonderful scholar of the region, I am happy to report that she is also a generally lovely human.