Rethinking decolonisation and resilience of Ukranian higher education in the context of war and global platforms
The large-scale Russian invasion has led to a significant escalation in the necessity for
a comprehensive institutional and intellectual restructuring within Ukrainian higher education,
necessitating a systematic decolonisation process. This study analyses how the ongoing armed
conflict fundamentally reshapes academic objects, models, and interpretive frameworks, extending beyond mere decolonisation, while concurrently exploring new theoretical approaches necessary for knowledge production and institutional resilience. The prevailing circumstances are
marked by substantial infrastructural deterioration, with a considerable number of educational
institutions encountering bombardment and shelling, in conjunction with an active information
war and epistemic aggression from Russia. Therefore, the core objective of this paper is to
investigate the intersection of decolonisation and institutional resilience, proposing a theoretical framework that integrates decolonisation, deconstruction, and the strategic utilisation of
global platforms. The findings highlight that the transformation process must focus on the crucial role of genuine academic autonomy as a precondition for quality and resilience, as well as
the necessity of establishing a comparative decolonial perspective that links Ukraine’s struggle
with diverse global experiences of colonial and post-colonial realities. This approach moves
beyond the passive absorption of historical injustices to shape a future-oriented post-colonial
framework actively. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the vital function of global platforms
and digital resistance (e.g., internet memes) in reinforcing institutional stability, challenging
aggressor narratives, and ensuring the ethical integration of media literacy. The study concludes
by asserting that the crisis must be methodologically transformed into an advantage for the
universal critique of imperial control.
