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Paper short abstract:

In contemporary Ukraine it is a big question how to deal with the Soviet industrial heritage, which is way too uncomfortable not only due to its functioning, but also because of its’ connotation of the totalitarian past. We will look at how the heavy industrial heritage in Ukraine is perceived now in public history, contemporary art and activists projects.

Paper long abstract:

The East of Ukraine was the heart of the heavy industry in Russian Empire and Soviet Union. In the interwar period, during the Stalins’ modernization, a lot of the giant plants were built. The industrial way of life was also a key point in the Soviet propaganda. In contemporary Ukraine it is a big question how to deal with the Soviet industrial heritage, which is way too uncomfortable not only due to its functioning as far as a lot of plants were shut down, and now they are derelict, but also because of its’ connotation of the totalitarian past. The issue of Donbass became even more painful with the beginning of the war in 2014. We will look at how the heavy industrial heritage in Ukraine is perceived now in public history, contemporary art and activists projects.

In the first part of our reports we will talk about the Soviet propaganda of the industrial way of life, based on the chronicles, newspapers and propagandists brochures; in the second part I would like to highlight the cases of Azovstal’, KhTZ (Kharkiv Tractor Plant) and Krivorozstal. The first case is important for us, because it is one of the most bright examples of the reappropriation of the industrial Soviet past. The case of KhTZ is relevant because we have an interesting example of the activism here; and the last, Krivorozstal is relevant for its industrial tourism.