Iryna Bekeshkina
{{Short description|Ukrainian sociologist (1952–2020)}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Iryna Bekeshkina
| native_name = {{nobold|Ірина Бекешкінa}}
| native_name_lang = uk
| image = Bekeshkina Iryna.jpg
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1952|02|04}}{{cite web |url=https://i-soc.com.ua/en/iryna-bekeshkina |title=Iryna Bekeshkina|publisher= Institute Sociology NAS of Ukraine |access-date=10 October 2020}}
| birth_place = Ivdel, Sverdlovsk Oblast, RSFSR, Soviet Union
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|03|20|1952|02|04}}
| death_place = Kyiv, Ukraine
| nationality = Ukrainian
| fields = Sociology
| alma_mater = {{ubl|Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv|Soviet Academy of Sciences}}
| workplaces = {{ubl|Soviet Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine|Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation}}
| doctoral_advisor =
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| awards =
}}
Iryna Erykivna Bekeshkina ({{langx|uk|Ірина Ериківна Бекешкінa}}; 4 February 1952 – 20 March 2020) 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.{{cite news |url=https://24tv.ua/pishla_z_zhittya_irina_bekeshkina_n1301724 |language=uk |title=Померла Ірина Бекешкіна – відома українська соціологиня |work=24TV |date=21 March 2020 |access-date=8 October 2020}}
Life and career
In 1974, Bekeshkina graduated from the Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv with a degree in philosophy.{{cite web |url=https://i-soc.com.ua/ua/institute/bekeshkina-irina-erikivna |language=uk |title=Бекешкіна Ірина Еріківна |publisher=National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Institute of Sociology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321112813/https://i-soc.com.ua/ua/institute/bekeshkina-irina-erikivna |access-date=8 October 2020|archive-date=2020-03-21 }} She then completed her graduate studies at the Institute of Philosophy within the Soviet Academy of Sciences.
Bekeshkina was a scientific editor of Філософська думка (Philosophical Thought, uk), one of the leading philosophy journals of Ukraine. 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.
Bekeshkina began to work at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in 1996. There she conducted research, publishing papers largely on the sociology of politics and elections. She particularly focused on the politics of Ukraine.{{cite web |url=https://dif.org.ua/en/article/who-is-iryna-bekeshkina |title=Who is Iryna Bekeshkina? |publisher=Democratic Initiatives Foundation |date=8 August 2019 |access-date=8 October 2020}}
Bekeshkina became the head of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation in 2010, and remained the head of that organization until her death.{{cite web |url=https://dif.org.ua/en/team/bekeshkina |title=Iryna Bekeshkina |publisher=Democratic Initiatives Foundation |year=2020 |access-date=8 October 2020 |archive-date=15 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015011150/https://dif.org.ua/en/team/bekeshkina |url-status=dead }} She was also a member of the board of the Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office,{{cite web |url=https://ukraine-office.eu/en/leading-ukrainian-sociologist-iryna-bekeshkina-died/ |title=Leading Ukrainian sociologist Iryna Bekeshkina passed away |publisher=Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office |year=2020 |access-date=8 October 2020 |archive-date=12 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012135930/https://ukraine-office.eu/en/leading-ukrainian-sociologist-iryna-bekeshkina-died/ |url-status=dead }} and was affiliated with the Media Director NGO, a Ukrainian media watchdog organization.{{cite news |url=https://detector.media/community/article/175730/2020-03-21-pishla-z-zhittya-irina-bekeshkina-dopovneno/ |title=Пішла з життя Ірина Бекешкіна |language=uk |work=Media Detector |date=21 March 2020 |access-date=8 October 2020}}
Bekeshkina was named the 38th most influential woman in Ukraine by Focus Magazine in 2007,{{cite news |url=https://focus.ua/people/12678 |title=Ирина Бекешкина |language=uk |work=Focus Magazine |date=8 November 2007 |access-date=8 October 2020}} and in 2008 she was named 51st most influential woman in Ukraine.{{cite news |url=https://focus.ua/people/26943 |title=Ирина Бекешкина |work=Focus Magazine |language=uk |date=2 October 2008 |access-date=8 October 2020}} In explaining these rankings, the magazine cited her public-facing work in the study of political information and Ukrainian foreign policy. In 2018 and 2020, she was included in lists of the 100 most successful women in Ukraine compiled by the magazine HB (uk).{{cite web |language=uk |url=http://www.nas.gov.ua/EN/Messages/News/Pages/View.aspx?MessageID=3865 |title=Науковиці Академії ввійшли до топ-100 найуспішніших жінок України |publisher=National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |date=23 March 2018 |access-date=8 October 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://magazine.nv.ua/ukr/journal/3453-journal-no-08/top-100-uspishnikh-zhinok-ukrajini.html |language=uk |title=Топ-100 успішних жінок України |work=HB |year=2018 |access-date=8 October 2020 |archive-date=21 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321165806/https://magazine.nv.ua/ukr/journal/3453-journal-no-08/top-100-uspishnikh-zhinok-ukrajini.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/politics/nayvplivovishi-zhinki-ukrajini-top-14-reyting-novini-ukrajini-50074032.html |title=Антикорупціонерки, соціологині і блогерки. Топ-14 найвпливовіших громадських діячок в Україні |work=HB |date=6 March 2020 |access-date=8 October 2020}}
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.{{cite web |author=|title= Kyiv, another 11 streets were derusified, Kateryna Gandzuk was immortalized|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/11/10/7375780/|website=Ukrayinska Pravda|date=10 November 2022|access-date=10 November 2022|lang=Ukrainian}}
Selected awards
References
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Category:Ukrainian women sociologists
Category:Ukrainian political scientists