REPRESENTATION OF CRIMEAN TATAR CULTURAL HERITAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: BETWEEN MEMORY, IDENTITY, AND POLITICS

Abstract

The article examines the representation of Crimean Tatar cultural heritage on Ukrainian social media as a distinctive digital environment for constructing identities, shaping collective memory, and conducting public advocacy. The study employs an interdisciplinary framework combining memory studies, heritage studies, digital anthropology, and public discourse analysis, complemented by empirical elements, including semi-structured interviews with members of the Crimean Tatar community. The research demonstrates that digital representations of Crimean Tatar heritage emerge within a context of multi-actor participation and structural inequalities in resources among different groups, including indigenous civic initiatives, state institutions, media outlets, and educational platforms. While social media enable forms of self-representation and direct communication with broader audiences, they simultaneously reproduce asymmetries of visibility, as cultural content competes with dominant political and news narratives. The findings reveal that Crimean Tatar heritage is predominantly presented in a fragmented, mosaic-like format through isolated events, symbols, practices, and personalized stories. Although such fragmentation enhances accessibility and media attractiveness, it complicates the development of a coherent historical and cultural narrative. Particular attention is given to the hybridity of digital narratives, where cultural, memorial, and political-advocacy dimensions intersect, forming a specific model of heritage presence in the public sphere. The scholarly novelty of the study lies in introducing an intra-community epistemic perspective into the academic analysis of digital representation and conceptualizing the Crimean Tatar case as a hybrid model in which heritage simultaneously operates as a carrier of identity, a medium of memory, and a tool of public advocacy. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to move from isolated initiatives toward sustainable long-term representation strategies, strengthen community– academic partnerships, and develop systematic digital archives as prerequisites for the fuller integration of Crimean Tatar culture into Ukraine’s broader public and cultural landscape