Name of the organization/initiative and year of foundation

The Journal of social criticism “Commons” is a Ukrainian left intellectual journal that was founded in 2009.

Mission

The Journal’s mission is to analyze and criticize the social system using modern critical social theories. To contribute to and spread the vision of a more politically free and economically egalitarian society.

Actions and projects in the context of armed conflict

The Journal editors try to support the coverage of the views of various groups of Ukrainian society about the war and create a safe environment for constructive public discussion of sensitive and controversial topics regarding the war in Donbas.

In 2019, the Journal launched the annual “Feuerbach 11” conference that brings together researchers and activists to discuss Ukraine’s socio-economic and political issues. On October 31, 2020, the following discussions were held: “The future of Donbas: freezing the conflict or reintegration”, “Memorialization of civilian victims: between dialogue and propaganda”, and “Gender and war: experiences of sexual violence against women in the army.” The conferences addressed the issues of war and its various dimensions – the experience of women who went to the Army, the memory about civilian victims of war, and the prospects for resolving the conflict.

The Journal publishes articles that analyze current issues related to the consequences and different perceptions of the armed conflict in Donbas. An example of such publications is a study by Taras Bilous on memorialization practices in respect to civilian victims of the conflict who died in different locations in eastern Ukraine. The articles were prepared in the framework of the project “Memory guides: information resources for the peaceful conflict transformation”, carried out by the Center for Independent Social Research – CISR e.V. Berlin. As a part of this project, the Journal published an interview with Nina Potarska about inclusive peace and opportunities for dialogue between people on both sides of the contact line.

In addition to the website publications, the Journal “Commons” was published in a “thick magazine” format. Thematic issues dealt with certain socio-economic problems and current political processes. In 2015, the ninth issue was published that presented various positions to the analysis of the Maidan phenomenon. In 2016, the tenth issue – “War and Nationalism” was published where the authors analyzed the concepts of war and nationalism, the consequences of the armed conflict in Donbas for Ukraine.