This article situates feminist research and activism in the post-socialist world. Focusing mainly on Ukraine and Russia, but drawing on research from around the region, this genealogy explores the unique contributions of feminist and gender-based activism before, during, and after state socialism. It is organized around the tension between feminism and nationalism that has been present in Ukraine from the 19 th century to the present day, and it asks how this tension has generated a vibrant feminist discourse despite backlash. The article highlights the overlap between feminist scholarship and activism, treating both as essential to the development of a regional feminism.
Based on ethnographic and interview data from the 2013-2014 Euromaidan mobilizations in Ukraine, I use the example of the "secondary city" of Cherkasy to show that protest participants used shifting scales to participate in the protests in Cherkasy and in the capital city of Kyiv. This participation showed national unity across Ukraine at the same time that it refocused Cherkasy residents' attention to local political issues. These processes call into question protesters' definitions of Europe, democracy, and national identity, all contested across Ukraine during Euromaidan. This article argues for greater attention to secondary cities in the context of mass mobilization, as local instances of protest participation redefined notions of community at multiple scales.
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