Connected by a thread: Ukrainian embroidery and macro-cultural identity on COVID-19 face masks in Ukraine and Ukrainian diaspora in Canada

Abstract

This thesis examines the ways in which Ukrainians, have utilized material culture transnationally in order to create a macro-cultural identity, particularly through the revitalization and resurgence of traditional Ukrainian embroidery. The role of diaspora in the preservation of different stages of cultural identity, as well as the ways in which traditions and material culture are adapted to suit the new worlds in which these concepts find themselves, contribute to the prolific nature of Ukrainian embroidery as a cultural identifier. Comparing the resurgence of embroidery in Ukraine and the diaspora within Canada, this thesis examines the roles of traditional patterns and motifs and their modern manipulations in an open/performative display of culture. Through a case study of Ukrainian embroidered face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research examines the different values of and sentiments towards the open/performative and private/personal functions of embroidery and material culture. By proving that the open/performative function is favored in modern uses of traditional embroidery to illustrate and exemplify cultural affinity, this thesis asserts that Ukrainian embroidery is being used to identify and define a macro-cultural identity transnationally.