From Military Frontier Force to National Symbol: The Transformation of Cossack Identity in Ukrainian Historiography

ABSTRACT This article explores the transformation of the Cossack figure from a military frontier community into the symbolic core of Ukrainian national identity through the lens of historiography. Drawing upon Anthony D. Smith's theory of ethno‐symbolism, Benedict Anderson's concept of imagined communities and Eric Hobsbawm's theory of invented traditions, the analysis reveals how the Cossack myth has been reimagined across imperial, Soviet and post‐Soviet contexts. Rather than treating the Cossack as a fixed historical subject, the article approaches it as a discursive construct shaped by aesthetic, ideological and political currents. It demonstrates how narratives of heroism, sacrifice and religious devotion have become intertwined with national myths, providing a moral foundation for collective memory and political legitimacy. Particular attention is given to the roles of romantic historiography, Soviet Marxist interpretations and post‐independence myth‐making practices in shaping the Cossack image. The study argues that the Cossack functions both as a vehicle of remembrance and as a performative symbol that structures national imagination. This historiographical analysis not only traces the evolution of a cultural icon but also uncovers how nations sanctify the past and naturalise the present. In doing so, it sheds light on the discursive flexibility of Cossack identity within the politics of memory and the construction of national selfhood.