Iryna Erykivna Bekeshkina (Ukrainian: Ірина Ериківна Бекешкінa; 4 February 1952 – 20 March 2020[1]) was a Ukrainian sociologist. She was the head of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation from 2010 until 2020. She specialized in the study of Ukrainian society and politics. She was also a frequent media commentator and policy advocate.[2]

Iryna Bekeshkina
Ірина Бекешкінa
Born(1952-02-04)February 4, 1952[1]
DiedMarch 20, 2020(2020-03-20) (aged 68)[1]
Kyiv, Ukraine
NationalityUkrainian
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsSociology
Institutions

Life and career

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In 1974, Bekeshkina graduated from the Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv with a degree in philosophy.[3] She then completed her graduate studies at the Institute of Philosophy within the Soviet Academy of Sciences.[3]

Bekeshkina was a scientific editor of Філософська думка (Philosophical Thought, uk), one of the leading philosophy journals of Ukraine.[3] In 1977, she became a researcher at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and beginning in 1990 she worked as a researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.[3]

Bekeshkina began to work at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in 1996.[3] There she conducted research, publishing papers largely on the sociology of politics and elections.[2] She particularly focused on the politics of Ukraine.[4]

Bekeshkina became the head of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation in 2010, and remained the head of that organization until her death.[5] She was also a member of the board of the Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office,[6] and was affiliated with the Media Director NGO, a Ukrainian media watchdog organization.[7]

Bekeshkina was named the 38th most influential woman in Ukraine by Focus Magazine in 2007,[8] and in 2008 she was named 51st most influential woman in Ukraine.[9] In explaining these rankings, the magazine cited her public-facing work in the study of political information and Ukrainian foreign policy.[8][9] In 2018 and 2020, she was included in lists of the 100 most successful women in Ukraine compiled by the magazine HB (uk).[10][11][12]

In 2020, Bekeshkina died in Kyiv from stomach cancer.

In November 2022, as part of a derussification campaign, Kyiv's Dmitry Karbyshev Street was renamed to Iryna Bekeshkina Street.[13]

Selected awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Iryna Bekeshkina". Institute Sociology NAS of Ukraine. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Померла Ірина Бекешкіна – відома українська соціологиня". 24TV (in Ukrainian). 21 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Бекешкіна Ірина Еріківна" (in Ukrainian). National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Institute of Sociology. Archived from the original on 2020-03-21. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Who is Iryna Bekeshkina?". Democratic Initiatives Foundation. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Iryna Bekeshkina". Democratic Initiatives Foundation. 2020. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Leading Ukrainian sociologist Iryna Bekeshkina passed away". Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office. 2020. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Пішла з життя Ірина Бекешкіна". Media Detector (in Ukrainian). 21 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Ирина Бекешкина". Focus Magazine (in Ukrainian). 8 November 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Ирина Бекешкина". Focus Magazine (in Ukrainian). 2 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Науковиці Академії ввійшли до топ-100 найуспішніших жінок України" (in Ukrainian). National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Топ-100 успішних жінок України". HB (in Ukrainian). 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Антикорупціонерки, соціологині і блогерки. Топ-14 найвпливовіших громадських діячок в Україні". HB. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Kyiv, another 11 streets were derusified, Kateryna Gandzuk was immortalized". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Iryna Bekeshkina". Wilson Center. Retrieved 8 October 2020.