PUBLIC ACTIVISM IN WARTIME
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2022-03-252-273Keywords:
public activism, war, wartime, activism, Ukraine, russian aggressionAbstract
The aim of the study is to conceptualise the wartime activism, to deter- mine its place in the system of public activism. Wartime activism is ana- lysed on the example of Russia’s open armed aggression against Ukraine in 2022. The investigation is based on event-analysis, as well as field re- search that was conducted under wartime conditions. From the perspective of the theory and tradition of public activism, the expediency of distin- guishing in the public activism system of such a type as wartime activism is argued. Its specific tasks, mechanisms of their implementation, risks, etc. are identified. Wartime activism is defined as a network of citizens’ initia- tives, their interactions (interactions with military units, governmental and non-governmental institutions, interpersonal interactions, etc.) to counter the aggressor, save the lives and health of citizens, infrastructure, etc. This type of activism is positioned as the one that arises solely as a response of the democratic community to armed aggression and is realised in wartime. All the characteristics of wartime activism are presented as those caused by the peculiarities of wartime. It is emphasised that wartime activism:
1) is territorially limited to the borders of the state against which armed ag- gression was committed, and outside these borders acquires the format of anti-war activism; 2) is implemented in both real and virtual dimensions;
3) has the potential to unite the democratic community on a global scale. The structural model of wartime public activism is presented as a combina- tion of three subsystems: frontline, rear area, foreign; each subsystem com- bines public activism in online and offline formats.
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