Without the State
Self-Organization and Political Activism in Ukraine
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Without the State explores the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests - a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine - through in-depth ethnographic research with leftist, feminist, and student activists in Kyiv. The book discusses the concept of "self-organization" and the notion that if something needs to be done and a person has the competence to do it, then they should simply do it.
Emily Channell-Justice reveals how self-organization in Ukraine came out of leftist practices but actors from across the spectrum of political views also adopted self-organization over the course of Euromaidan, including far-right groups. The widespread adoption of self-organization encouraged Ukrainians to rethink their expectations of the relationship between citizens and their state. The book explains how self-organized practices have changed people's views on what they think they can contribute to their own communities, and in the wake of Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has also motivated new networks of mutual aid within Ukraine and beyond. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, including the author's first-hand experience of the entirety of the Euromaidan protests, Without the State provides a unique analytical account of this crucial moment in Ukraine's post-Soviet history.
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Reviews
"Anchored in events in Kyiv in 2013-2014, Without the State offers insights relevant for other societies that were once part of the Soviet Union and that may be currently engaged in their own efforts to extricate themselves from Moscow's grasp. This book sheds needed light on the ideational struggles of people worldwide seeking participatory alternatives to the neoliberal economic order."
"This book is of interest to anyone who studies protest or civil society, providing valuable insight into how activists navigate diverse and sometimes hostile spaces, adapt their tactics, and make pragmatic decisions about engaging with actors and ideologies they disagree with. It also offers an excellent example of how to write an ethnography of a protest movement: it is rigorously researched, remains compelling to read, and centers the voices of those it studies."
"As an academic who writes about Ukraine, I have read many accounts of the Euromaidan. What this book delivers that no other book has offered is an intimate portrait of the activists who executed the revolution on Kyiv's potholed pavement, and the view from 30,000 feet. Channel-Justice accomplishes these objectives simultaneously within the covers of a single book."
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