Dmytro Dontsov and Ukrainian Nationalism

Since 2014, Ukrainian nationalism has been a focus of intense debate inside and outside Ukraine. A central, and often overlooked figure in its history is Dmytro Dontsov, the founder of Ukrainian “integral nationalism” and so-called “spiritual father” of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Who was Dmytro Dontsov, and how did this erstwhile journalist, diplomat, literary critic, publicist, and ideologue, progress from heterodox Marxism, to avant-garde fascism, to theocratic traditionalism? Here’s Trevor Erlacher on Dontsov’s intellectual trajectories. Guest: Trevor Erlacher is a historian specializing in modern Ukraine and Ukrainian nationalism. He is currently the Academic Advisor, Program Coordinator, and Editor for the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He’s the author of Ukrainian Nationalism in the Age of Extremes: An Intellectual Biography of Dmytro Dontsov published by Harvard University Press. Music: Sonic Youth, “Youth Against Fascism,” Dirty, 1992.