Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Greta Uehling Publishes Decolonizing Ukraine: Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom

Greta Uehling published Decolonizing Ukraine: Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom with Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom illuminates the untold stories of Russia’s occupation of Crimea from 2014 to the present, revealing the bloodless traumas of colonization, foreign occupation, and population displacement.

Drawing upon extensive fieldwork in Ukraine, Uehling brings her readers into the lives of the Ukrainians, Russians, and Crimean Tatars who opposed Russia’s Crimean operation, many of whom fled for government-controlled Ukraine.

Along the way, we meet the Crimean Tatar Eurovision song winner who shows us the power of collective grieving for reconciliation, and travel to the Crimean blockade where, unbeknownst to most, armed activists took it upon themselves to contest Russia’s advance.

Throughout, the author shows how some of Ukraine’s largest Indigenous group, the Crimean Tatars, may have lost their previous ways of life but also discovered new ways to be Ukrainian. Exploring Crimean Tatars’ experiences in relation to race in the United States and the history of Ukraine and Russia enables Uehling to show how this often-sidelined group holds keys to Ukraine’s decolonization.

The book offers as a unique contribution: few books on Eastern Europe have focused on Indigenous peoples, and books on Indigenous peoples rarely mention Ukraine. This book stands at the intersection of these subjects to enrich both.

Special Discount: 30% off list price until February 28 if ordered at Roman and Littlefield www.rowman.com using code: RLFANDF30