Collective Memory and National Identity Formation: The Role of Family and the State

Björn Brey, Joanne Haddad and Lamis Kattan

No 12080, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: State-led repression of minority identities is a well-documented phenomenon, yet its implications for national identity remain understudied. We examine how the Soviet state-induced famine (1932–33) shapes contemporary Ukrainian national identity through vertical (familial) and horizontal (community/state) transmission. Using newly geocoded individual-level data, we find that individuals from high-famine-exposure areas are more likely to identify as Ukrainian. We document that under Soviet rule, family networks preserved identity, while church closures weakened community transmission. After independence, state-led remembrance efforts, revitalized horizontal transmission. Our findings show how repression and remembrance shape identity persistence and reflect the famine’s lasting influence on Ukrainian-Russian relations.

Keywords: political repression; national identity; intergenerational transmission; historical memory; trade; conflict (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D74 N44 P20 P35 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12080

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