Ukraine: Revolution, Resistance, Democracy

About the talk: Why did Russia invade Ukraine? What explains the power of Ukrainian resistance? Sophia Wilson’s talk will be based on her book about the Ukrainian Maidan Revolution of 2013-14, showing why it is impossible to understand Russia’s invasion of Ukraine without first understanding the Ukrainian pro-democratic grassroots movement and the rooting out of Russian puppet authoritarianism. Her study of the Ukrainian Revolution gives a carefully researched account of the underbelly of the revolutionary process, investigating how participants self-organized to create the resistance, why the peaceful movement eventually turned to violence, and how the revolutionary process changed those who came to change the country. Wilson will discuss how the people resisted the state in multiple arenas – the protest square, courtrooms, hospitals, churches, and media – to successfully challenge the constitutionality of the state’s actions. She will also explain how the Kremlin propaganda about the Ukrainian democratic movement captures the essence of Russia’s motivation to suppress Ukraine’s sovereignty and democracy.

About the speaker: Dr. Sophia Wilson is a Professor of Political Science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and the President of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies. Wilson received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and held fellowships at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Indiana University Law School, and Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin. She taught at the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute in 2017, 2019 and 2025. Wilson's publications on human rights practices in authoritarian regimes are based on extensive fieldwork she conducted in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, including multiple interviews with judges, journalists and activists. Her book, Maidan: Ukraine's Democratic Revolution is an extensive analysis of the grassroots 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity, which renegotiated the social contract and reaffirmed democracy in Ukraine. She is currently working on her new book, Fascism vs. Communism: Ukraine under Three Occupations. Dr. Wilson has provided analysis for U.S. government agencies, and commentary for broadcast and print media outlets on Ukraine and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She was recognized by the Ukrainian government "for leadership in the study and research of Ukrainian Studies in the United States of America" in August 2024, and awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies for her role in strengthening Ukraine's presence in the global academic community in 2025.

This lecture is part of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures' series "Ukraine Unbound: Culture, Memory, Resistance".
The talks will be held in a hybrid format, and they're hosted by Alex Averbuch, Assistant Professor of Ukrainian Literature and Culture.
This talk is co-sponsored by Razom for Ukraine / Ukraine on Campus.