The national aspect in the construction of the image of the «Ukrainian» during 1943–1956 in Soviet mass media (a Case Study of the magazine «Pepper»)

Abstract

Research into the formation of Ukrainian national identity has a long scholarly tradition. Of particular interest are the efforts of the Soviet ideological system, during the final stage of the Second World War and the immediate postwar period, to construct a model of the «Ukrainian» that would serve as an ideal counterpart to the Stalinist totalitarian regime. Especially significant is the examination of the mechanisms of this social engineering implemented by the criminal communist regime, as well as the identification of its long-term consequences for the formation of a coherent civic identity under contemporary conditions. The purpose of this study is to identify and characterize the instruments employed through mass media to utilize elements of national color in the creation of a positively framed image of the «Ukrainian», as envisioned by the Soviet regime, using one of the most popular satirical and humorous periodicals, «Pepper», as a case study. The methodology is based on a combination of systemic, comparative, and institutional approaches, and employs general scientific and historical methods, including generalization, the problem-chronological method, the historical-systemic method, and the comparative-historical method. Particular attention is devoted to content analysis as a means of tracing ideological constructs within narrative and visual texts. This approach makes it possible to reveal deliberate strategies aimed at manipulating public consciousness and shaping value orientations aligned with the objectives of the communist regime. The findings of the study identify the principal directions of media influence, as exemplified by "Perets", in constructing the image of the “Ukrainian” and in shaping a specifically Ukrainian Soviet identity. It is demonstrated that, in pursuit of this objective, various forms of media influence relevant to the period were employed—most notably humor and satire—where textual formats were combined with visual elements, alongside comparative analysis emphasizing the system of values delineated by Soviet ideology. The conclusions substantiate that national characteristics may be defined as a set of distinctive features delineating the specificity of a people and its social and cultural identity. The analysis of the role of the national aspect in the pages of "Perets" between 1943 and 1956 provides grounds to assert that the satirical publication became an important instrument in shaping the image of the Ukrainian within Soviet society. Through the incorporation of elements of national culture, language, traditional Ukrainian attire, representations of folk heroes and other national-cultural symbols the magazine managed to preserve and popularize aspects of Ukrainian national identity even within the ideological constraints of the USSR.