Discussion
In this paper, I investigate the processes of decolonizing knowledge about Ukraine as manifested in Ukrainian YouTube channels. I argue that Ukrainian YouTube has become one of the main media platforms for challenging and dismantling epistemic structures historically shaped by the Russian knowledge production system.
For centuries, Russian dominance over knowledge production constructed and propagated a particular image of Ukraine, both domestically and internationally. This colonial epistemology portrayed Ukraine and its culture as underdeveloped, secondary, and dependent on the hegemon. Ukrainian culture was frequently depicted through the reductive lens - as backward, vulgar, and folkloric only - while Russian culture was framed as enlightened and modern, often through the appropriation of Ukrainian cultural achievements. As a result, both domestic and foreign audiences internalized a colonial perception of Ukraine, contributing to a postcolonial condition characterized by an inferiority complex, hybridity, and mimicry.
In this context, Ukrainian YouTube channels have emerged as significant agents in counteracting epistemic injustice. These platforms not only challenge distorted representations of Ukraine but also participate in the broader decolonization of knowledge. Epistemic injustice here refers both to the misrepresentation or absence of Ukrainian perspectives in global knowledge systems and to the internalization of colonial narratives within Ukraine itself.
The main research questions guiding this study are as follows:
- What are the primary strategies used in Ukrainian mass media to counteract epistemic injustice?
- Can the popularization of knowledge about Ukraine for domestic audiences be understood as part of the struggle against epistemic injustice?
- What are the dominant discourses and narratives involved in the decolonial effort to counter epistemic injustice on Ukrainian YouTube?
I argue that counteracting epistemic injustice involves a process of
unlearning - that is, the deconstruction of previously accepted knowledge structures perceived as universal or normative. These two interlinked processes - unlearning and resistance to epistemic injustice—form the basis of knowledge decolonization in the Ukrainian context. Notably, such efforts are not limited to academia but are increasingly visible in mass media, particularly on YouTube, which plays a crucial role due to its accessibility and wide social reach. Methodologically, I employ multimodal content analysis of selected Ukrainian YouTube channels, followed by an in-depth multimodal content analysis incorporating elements of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), focusing on key actors, agencies, historical and geographical references, and narrative strategies.
