War frames and societal transformations in Ukraine: Reframing a wartime nation

Abstract

This article advances a frame-centred reconceptualization of the war–society nexus by analysing how war operates as a structure-transforming event that generates durable patterns of civic agency, legitimacy, and democratic orientation. Building on and extending Horng-luen Wang’s conceptualization, we theorize a dual architecture of war frames: primary frames rooted in lived exposure to conflict (existential defence, duty and care) and secondary discursive frames that institutionalize legitimacy, responsibility and collective grievability. Drawing on nationally representative surveys and qualitative materials from Ukraine (2014–2025), we trace how these frames interact across micro, meso and macro levels. Our analysis shows that civic embeddedness in volunteer, logistical and local infrastructures functions as a key mediating mechanism, converting initial moral shock into routinized social capacity and transformative resilience. A central finding is that prolonged existential strain does not necessarily lead to social fragmentation; rather, empathy and democratic commitments are sustained through dense care networks and reinforced solidarities. By demonstrating how war frames operate as generative social mechanisms rather than descriptive narratives, this article offers a transferable analytical framework for understanding societal resistance, democratic endurance and civic agency under conditions of authoritarian aggression.