The dissertation is devoted to the research of the phenomenon of resentment policies and their role in the process of construction and reproduction of collective memory. The relevance of this topic resides in rapid changes in economic, political, cultural, and religious realms, which characterize modern Ukrainian society. It is noticeable that the heroes of the past are replaced by fundamentally new figures who were previously either marginalized or almost erased from the collective memory of the Ukrainians. The heroization of the victims and the desire to receive compensation (both moral and material) for the losses are especially noticeable. We associate this with the conduct of resentment policies.
We suggest using this notion as one of the (narrower) varieties of «politics of memory». This notion is not only narrower, but also implies a different nature of the relationship between the parties. In fact, if the politics of memory are aimed at regulating the entire historical past, resentment policies appeal to tragic, traumatic episodes in history. Usually, the study of resentment primarily relates to psychology, in which it is considered solely as a model of behavior at the individual level. However, in modern conditions, the image reaches a new, group level. It is constructed as a theory, telling about the historical origins of conflicts between countries, ethnic and social groups,. At the same time, resentment policies are being implemented in the practical sphere. This is manifested through everyday practices, so the result is a persistent hostility towards the «offender». First of all, the conduct of resentment policies is relevant to societies that are in a state of military or political conflict.
The ontological aspect of the problem situation is that political actors, which, inter alia, seek to increase their rating and achieve certain political and economic goals, may be interested in the implementation of resentment policies.
The epistemological aspect of the problem situation consists in an obvious lack of knowledge about the specific of the implementation of resentment policies: sources of information about the event, the mechanisms of its spread, etc. Traditional approaches to the study of resentment consider it as a compassionate attitude towards themselves and negative towards the aggressor. We propose to study this in more detail and focus on the practices of constructing images of the enemy and the victim, the implementation of various symbols and images through cinematograph, and the space of modern cities.
First of all, the theoretical and methodological achievements devoted to the phenomenon of collective memory were analyzed and organized. We see it as the foundation of resentment policies. The eclectic set of concepts was streamlined and analyzed from a critical paradigm perspective. Based on Halbwax's approach, which is the most appropriate in the context of our work, it can be emphasized that events from the past and present are closely interrelated. By highlighting key aspects of collective memory, this phenomenon is described as a set of knowledge about the past that includes information about common values, holidays, rituals, symbols, and heroes, passed down from one generation to another.
Next, an analysis of theoretical approaches to the study of policies of memory was analyzed. It is analyzed that policies of memory are primarily considered by researchers as a social construct. And this is exactly their narrower variety that we view as resentment policies. Resentment policies do not refer to the past in general, but only to its tragic aspects (traumas). Resentment policies are aimed at building a certain attitude to events and are necessarily related to trauma. That is, in the context of our work, policies aimed at resolving contradictions will not be relevant, because they pursue completely different goals.
It was found that resentment policies provide a conscious emphasis on traumatic experiences. They are aimed at constructing images of the enemy and the victim. Among the functions of resentment policies one can find a unification of society, its consolidation, etc. These processes are accompanied by the creating of an image of the enemy, which can be found both inside the state and abroad. However, the consolidation of one part of society leads to even more contradictions within another one. As a result, the reproduction of resentment policies leads to the polarization of different groups, especially if they do not share the same view of historical events.
