The Ukrainian Catholic University, located in Lviv (Ukraine), hosted the first large-scale international conference on Ukrainian studies “Ukraine in the World” in many years on July 8-10, which for the first time in many years brought together in Ukraine over 250 scholars, researchers, and representatives of academic centers from 38 countries around the world, including the United States. The forum became a platform for developing a global network of Ukrainian studies, strengthening international cooperation, and rethinking Ukraine’s place in the global academic space.
This was reported by Ukrainian Catholic University.
“We are reviving the tradition of regular international Ukrainian studies conferences in Ukraine. The conference “Ukraine in the World” will be unprecedented in its geographical scope. We want this event to become a platform where strategic directions for the development of Ukrainian studies in the world will be determined – in a dialogue between the Ukrainian and international academic communities. It is important that the event will take place in Ukraine, because this is how foreign scholars will be able to immerse themselves in the Ukrainian context, establish professional and inter-institutional ties with Ukrainian colleagues,” said Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute.
The conference was attended by over 210 offline participants and over 40 online. Scholars, representatives of universities and research centers engaged in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies came to Lviv. Before the opening, the participants honored the memory of the fallen defenders of Ukraine at the Field of Honorary Burial of the Lychakiv Cemetery. The grand opening of the conference “Ukraine in the World” took place at the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Solomiya Krushelnytska. The event was held in two languages: Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar.
During the opening ceremony, the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, addressed the participants, emphasizing that the war drew the world’s attention to Ukraine, but it is universities that are transforming this interest into deep knowledge and long-term partnership.
“Ukraine is increasingly becoming the subject of not only international attention, but also deep academic reflection. Universities are transforming interest into knowledge, knowledge into mutual understanding, and mutual understanding into long-term partnership,” Olena Zelenska noted.
Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Tetyana Berezhna, emphasized that knowledge about Ukraine today is a matter of national security.
“The more and more deeply the world understands Ukraine, our history, language, culture, courage, and struggle, the harder it is to belittle our country through other people’s empty narratives,” she emphasized.
Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, Volodymyr Sheiko, called the conference the realization of a long-standing dream.
“Ukrainian studies are not a narrow academic niche, but a cornerstone infrastructure of Ukraine’s presence in the world,” he noted.
UCU Vice President Father Bohdan Prakh emphasized that the Russian war is not only aggression against Ukraine, but also the result of many years of misunderstanding of Ukrainian history in the world.
During the conference, a public discussion “Ukraine in the World: From Empathy to Subjectivity” was held with the participation of Professor of Ukrainian Studies Rory Finnin, Professor Oli Hnatyuk, and poet and military officer Yaryna Chornoguz. The conversation was moderated by journalist Myroslava Barchuk.
One of the central events was the presentation of the first-ever international award from the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies, which recognized universities, research centers, and researchers who have made a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies. Among the laureates is the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, which received an award for “Studies of Ukraine” and its long-term contribution to the development of Ukrainian studies, the creation of scientific programs, publications, scholarship initiatives, and digital resources that systematically disseminate knowledge about Ukraine in the world.
The co-organizer of the conference, poet and UCU lecturer Ostap Slyvynskyi, emphasized that modern Ukrainian studies requires new international networking.
“The conference is an opportunity to work together to strengthen Ukrainian subjectivity in the world – what we call “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiga emphasized that in times of war, Ukrainian studies have become one of the important instruments of state defense. And according to UCU Rector Taras Dobko, participation in the development of Ukrainian studies today is not only an academic activity, but also a manifestation of international solidarity with Ukraine.
Read also: Two U.S. Universities Join the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies
The three-day conference featured over 55 academic panel sessions, 15 presentations by research centers, five book presentations, and two thematic exhibitions. The forum was organized by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute, and the Ukrainian Catholic University in cooperation with the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies, with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, the Mnozhyna Foundation, and the City of Lviv.
Photo: Anton Tkachenko
Prepared by: Inna Mikhno