Specificity of Ukrainian Urban Memory Culture: The Case of Monumental Memorialization in the City of Kharkiv

Abstract

The article examines the specificity of contemporary urban memory culture through the case study of monumental memorialization in Kharkiv. The research draws on a database of monuments, media materials, and a collection of photographs of the city’s monumental sites of memory. Based on these sources, it identifies the key memory agents, the dynamics of their activity, the forms of symbolic representation, and the models of interaction among institutions that influence the formation of the city’s cultural and symbolic space. The study demonstrates that, despite the noticeable expansion of actors involved in the memorial process and the progressive democratization of commemorative practices, a significant share of monumental initiatives continues to operate within a paternalistic model. This is reflected in the linkage of monument installations to calendar holidays and anniversaries, the power-centered nature of public communication, and the insufficient articulation of the semantic dimension of memory — factors that limit opportunities for public dialogue on the value orientations of commemoration. The analysis also reveals institutional competition for the “right to heritage,” the dominance of traditional monumental forms oriented toward visual supremacy, as well as challenges related to the local articulation of meanings and values associated with commemoration that remain largely inaccessible to the broader public. The article concludes that overcoming these structural constraints, expanding the involvement of local communities, and introducing more transparent and participatory decision-making mechanisms are essential for the further democratization of the urban memory space, the development of an inclusive local identity, and the formation of a coherent and open cultural environment. In turn, the ongoing transformation of urban memory culture in Ukrainian cities has the potential to serve as a foundation for deeper and more systemic changes in Ukrainian memory culture as a whole.