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Music as a Factor in the Formation of Cultural Memory and National Identity

Liliia Nazar1, Myroslava Novakovych2, Olha Katrych3, Uliana Hrab4, Ivan Derda5
1Department of Music History, Department of Musicology, Composition, Voice and Conducting, M.V. Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy, Lviv, Ukraine
2Department of Music Medieval Studies and Ukrainian Studies, Faculty of Music Theory and Composition, M. V. Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy, Lviv, Ukraine
3Department of General and Specialized Piano, Orchestral Faculty, M. V. Lysenko Lviv National Academy of Music, Lviv, Ukraine
4Department of the Studies in Medieval and Ukrainian Music, Faculty of Musicology, Composition, Vocal Studies and Conducting, M. V. Lysenko Lviv National Academy of Music
5Department of Music, Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70517/revcc2624197
Published: 07/11/2026
: Liliia Nazar, Myroslava Novakovych, Olha Katrych, Uliana Hrab, Ivan Derda. Music as a Factor in the Formation of Cultural Memory and National Identity. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 2452-2462.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine how song, audiovisual and performative materials represent collective pasts and symbolic belonging in different social contexts. In May–July 2026, a qualitative comparative study of 30 works, with six works selected from each of five cultural contexts: Ukraine, Chile, Slovenia, China, and Indonesia, was conducted, using directed thematic coding and cross-case comparison. The most frequently coded themes in the corpus were images of the homeland and territorial belonging, as well as markers of collective unity or solidarity — 19 works each. Historical memory, political memory or collective trauma were identified in 18 units, cultural continuity, language and tradition — in 15, state and national symbols — in 10, diasporic experience, migration, or geographical distance — in 4. Ukrainian material mainly combined war trauma, the image of a lost or defended home and modernized folklore codes. In Chile, political violence, social memory, emigration and the personification of heritage through a cultural hero dominated. Slovenian works linked landscape, language, statehood and critical reinterpretation of symbols; Chinese works emphasized ceremonial unity and a personified homeland, while Indonesian works emphasized independence, island geography, and commemorative mourning. The most common attributed social function was community consolidation — 19 works; heritage transmission was found in 15, commemoration in 14, and resistance or critical rethinking in 8. The results showed that the meaning of the work was determined by the interaction of thematic, emotional, verbal, sound, visual, and media components, but did not provide grounds for drawing conclusions about the actual responses of audiences.

Keywords: collective belonging, symbolic representation, commemorative practice, folklore code, media recirculation, intergenerational continuity

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine how song, audiovisual and performative materials represent collective pasts and symbolic belonging in different social contexts. In May–July 2026, a qualitative comparative study of 30 works, with six works selected from each of five cultural contexts: Ukraine, Chile, Slovenia, China, and Indonesia, was conducted, using directed thematic coding and cross-case comparison. The most frequently coded themes in the corpus were images of the homeland and territorial belonging, as well as markers of collective unity or solidarity — 19 works each. Historical memory, political memory or collective trauma were identified in 18 units, cultural continuity, language and tradition — in 15, state and national symbols — in 10, diasporic experience, migration, or geographical distance — in 4. Ukrainian material mainly combined war trauma, the image of a lost or defended home and modernized folklore codes. In Chile, political violence, social memory, emigration and the personification of heritage through a cultural hero dominated. Slovenian works linked landscape, language, statehood and critical reinterpretation of symbols; Chinese works emphasized ceremonial unity and a personified homeland, while Indonesian works emphasized independence, island geography, and commemorative mourning. The most common attributed social function was community consolidation — 19 works; heritage transmission was found in 15, commemoration in 14, and resistance or critical rethinking in 8. The results showed that the meaning of the work was determined by the interaction of thematic, emotional, verbal, sound, visual, and media components, but did not provide grounds for drawing conclusions about the actual responses of audiences.

Keywords: collective belonging, symbolic representation, commemorative practice, folklore code, media recirculation, intergenerational continuity

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Liliia Nazar
Department of Music History, Department of Musicology, Composition, Voice and Conducting, M.V. Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy, Lviv, Ukraine
lylia_nazar@ukr.net
Myroslava Novakovych
Department of Music Medieval Studies and Ukrainian Studies, Faculty of Music Theory and Composition, M. V. Lysenko Lviv National Music Academy, Lviv, Ukraine
Olha Katrych
Department of General and Specialized Piano, Orchestral Faculty, M. V. Lysenko Lviv National Academy of Music, Lviv, Ukraine
Uliana Hrab
Department of the Studies in Medieval and Ukrainian Music, Faculty of Musicology, Composition, Vocal Studies and Conducting, M. V. Lysenko Lviv National Academy of Music
Ivan Derda
Department of Music, Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Chernivtsi, Ukraine

How to cite:

Liliia Nazar, Myroslava Novakovych, Olha Katrych, Uliana Hrab, Ivan Derda. Music as a Factor in the Formation of Cultural Memory and National Identity. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 2452-2462.

Publication History

  • Received: 26/04/2026
  • Accepted: 20/10/2026
  • Published: 07/11/2026
Copyright © 2026, Liliia Nazar, Myroslava Novakovych, Olha Katrych, Uliana Hrab, Ivan Derda. Published by Revista Cultura Científica. This article is published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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