This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Centers for East Asian Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… and also recently in Ukraine, Star Wars has been dominating political and cultural life. In this East European country, sixteen Darth Vaders campaigned for a parliamentary seat last year. Chewbacca was arrested for illegally running for city office, and Emperor Palpatine actually won a seat on a city council. Most recently, a statue of the communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin was given a makeover to look like Darth Vader. Since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine’s transition to democracy and a free market economy has been rife with revolution and civil war. But few can argue the symbolic durability of Western popular culture over Soviet ideals when a statue of Darth Vader serves as a Wi-Fi hot spot in Odessa.

With thanks to Adrienne Landry for this text, from the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.