Developing data management tools to identify the colonial impact on monuments in the Sumy region of Ukraine

Ukraine experienced expansionism by multiple foreign groups and states throughout its history. However, Russian colonization of the 18th and 19th centuries and Soviet colonization of 1921–1991 had the most significant impact on Ukrainian national state formation and cultural identification through organized Russian supremacy, systemic totalitarian ideology, and methodical Ukrainian language suppression in public spaces. This paper focuses on developing data management tools to identify the representation of Russian colonial impact in Ukrainian public art through analysis of Ukrainian monuments included in the State Monuments’ Rosters for the Sumy region, a territory bordering Russia. The study utilizes digital data collection apparatus and data analysis to evaluate the distribution of monuments as the primary descriptive research technique. A Monument Digital Identification Card was created to indicate that the Russian colonial impact in the Sumy region, represented in monuments through identified criteria such as epoch, political narratives, personalities, and texts’ language, is higher than Ukrainian statehood narratives. The developed data management tools compare the degree of colonial impact in public art objects installed and included in the State Monuments’ Rosters before 1991 and after Ukraine gained independence. An increase in totalitarian propaganda in 1921–1991 directly impacted the number and narratives of monuments, with 94.9% reflecting colonial narratives and only 5.1% representing national identity. At the same time, no increase in Ukrainian national narratives has been identified since Ukrainian independence in 1991. The research findings confirm the need for state regulatory reforms and regional authorities’ amendments to achieve historical justice. AcknowledgmentThis research is financially supported by the Ukrainian Scientific Research Foundation within the framework of the project “Digital archiving of monuments as objects of public memorialization for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Ukraine.”