The Markers of Territorial Identity in Melitopol, Ukraine

This article is about the territorial identity of inhabitants of Melitopol, Ukraine.
It focuses on measuring markers of this identity: emotional attachment (proud of
the city; love for the city); knowledge of its historical and cultural heritage; city
patriotism and citizenship; the density of social communications; and social trust.

It reports on results of a representative sociological study “The Markers of Self-
Identification of Melitopol Residents,” which was aimed at identifying identities

capable of forming a collective identity for this city. This study revealed that there
are effective conditions in the city for the formation of a collective territorial identity,
namely: There is affinity with its physical space; a significant portion of residents
are interested in city issues, which is the basis for forming groups and associations
based on common interests within the local community; and there are dense social
communications in the media space of the city. On the other hand, the study also
found that the city’s historical and cultural heritage are not effective factors of the
city’s identity. Authors conclude the consolidation of the city’s identity needs to
takes place around contemporary events and circumstances; hence, there is a need

to make the city a more useful social space with infrastructure that meets contem-
porary needs and interests of its residents. The study also reveals that in Melitopol,

like the whole of Ukrainian society, there is a lack of social trust, largely due to the
post Soviet Union distrust of political institutions both at the national and local

levels. At the same time, there is considerable interest in the consolidation of vari-
ous social groups and the formation of social trust.