Digitally Reconstructing Mental Maps from L'viv during the Transformation, 1989–1995

With Ukraine’s independence in 1991, mental maps about Ukraine have re-emerged with the processes of post-communist nation-building and state-building. In the post-Cold War period, these mental maps have been shaped by a variety of foreign and national actors, propagating simplistic narratives that imply spatial fragmentations of Ukraine based on history, political orientation, ethnicity, language, and socio-economic differences – unfolding in spatial terms such as Malorossiya, Novorossiya, Galicia, Transcarpathia, Bukovina, and the East-West divide. Particularly, mental maps about Ukraine’s western regions, with L’viv at its centre, have been shaped by the region’s historical spatial fragmentation from Galicia under Austro-Hungarian rule to Soviet incorporation. The perception of these regions varies significantly based on historical perspectives, often characterized as patriotic, nationalist, Catholic, Ukrainian-speaking, pro-European, or as fascist, anti-Polish, anti-Soviet, and anti-Russian. This doctoral thesis tells a local and historical story of mental maps by centralizing the perspective of young borderland inhabitants from the western Ukrainian city L’viv during 1989 to 1995. Focusing on the borderland city of L’viv during the transformation years of 1989 to 1995, this thesis digitally reconstructs two mental maps of young borderland inhabitants through a digital analysis of two youth newspapers, Postup and Leninska Molod’ / Moloda Halychyna. The study critically examines the spatial meanings young L’vivians attributed to locations during the transformation and their evolution over time to reconstruct their mental maps. The findings show how both groups navigated the socio-political and socio-economic transformations of Ukraine, attributing diverse meanings to locations like L’viv, Russia, the Baltics, and the USA, which evolved into complex mental maps. These maps are visualized in conceptual representations, illustrating how these places were perceived beyond mere geographic entities. The analysis reveals that young borderland inhabitants framed their spatial perceptions within national and regional narratives while emphasizing Ukraine’s place within Europe. This study contributes to the interdisciplinary field of border studies and the social dimension of historical transformation research.