CULTURAL IDENTITY AS A PROCESS OF REPRESENTATION: STUART HALL’S CONNCEPT

Abstract

The article examines the problem of cultural identity, which is of particular importance in the modern Ukrainian
context. In the face of war, decolonization, and the struggle for symbolic space, identity is seen not as a fixed essence,
but as a historical and discursive process. The research focuses on the theoretical framework of Stuart Hall, who
proposed considering identity through the prism of representation and power relations. The study emphasizes the
relevance of Hall’s ideas for understanding how Ukrainian identity is being redefined today in response to imperial
pressure and the trauma of war. The purpose of the article is to introduce the key provisions of Stuart Hall’s concept of
cultural identity and representation to the academic discourse, and to reveal the heuristic potential of his theory for
analyzing the processes of reviving and redefining Ukrainian cultural identity in the conditions of post-colonial and
military experience. Research methodology. The study is based on the analysis of primary sources by Stuart Hall
(«Cultural Identity and Diaspora», «The Work of Representation», etc.). Methodological tools include cultural analysis,
the discursive approach, and a comparative method used to identify the specifics of post-colonial experiences in
different geographical and historical contexts. Conclusions. Stuart Hall’s concept allows us to view cultural identity as
an unfinished, historically shaped, and discursively constructed process. It is proven that identity is formed «within, not
outside, representation», involving visual images, narratives, and symbolic forms. Hall’s «three presences» model
demonstrates that identity is a result of hybridity and constant «becoming». While Hall's Caribbean experience was
shaped by racial regimes, the Ukrainian context requires a specific lens focused on imperial Russification and the
struggle against the image of «the Other» imposed by the dominant Russian discourse. Novelty. This is one of the first
attempts to systematically adapt Stuart Hall’s concept of representation to the analysis of the modern Ukrainian wartime
experience. The study identifies the heuristic limits of mechanically applying Caribbean post-colonial models to the
Ukrainian context, highlighting the difference between Atlantic-racial and imperial-Russification types of coloniality.
The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results for the development of decolonization
strategies in the cultural sphere, in educational programs on culturology and identity politics, as well as for further
research into the symbolic mechanisms of constructing national identity in times of crisis.