BOOK NOTES: Publication examines Ukrainian-Russian relations (05/11/03)

BOOK NOTES: Publication examines Ukrainian-Russian relations

"Culture, Nation and Identity: The Ukrainian-Russian Encounte, 1600-1945," Andreas Kappeler, Zenon Kohut, Frank Sysyn and Mark von Hagen, eds. Edmonton: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 2003, xiv, 381 pp.

by Dr. Marko R. Stech

Throughout its turbulent history Ukraine's cultural and national identity as well as its political fate was shaped and, in many instances, determined by the nature of its relations with neighboring states and peoples. It is impossible to understand Ukraine's history without closely examining the cultural, social and political relations between Ukrainians and Russians, Poles, Jews, Germans, Belarusians, Hungarians, Romanians, and other East and Central European nationalities.

In order to shed light on these complex issues, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press has over the years published several multi-faceted studies of the Ukrainian-Russian, Ukrainian-Polish, Ukrainian-Jewish and Ukrainian-German historical encounters. (Information about and sample pages of these, and many other CIUS Press publications, may be found at www.utoronto.ca/cius.

In April, the CIUS Press published a new and important book on Ukraine's historical relations with its most powerful neighbor, Russia.

The book, "Culture, Nation and Identity: The Ukrainian-Russian Encounter, 1600-1945" is based on a series of four sessions on the Russian-Ukrainian encounter held alternately at Columbia University and Cologne University from June 1994 to September 1995, which had their origin in both the world of great political events and the realm of scholarly discussions.

Ukraine's declaration of independence, ratified by the referendum of December 1, 1991, and subsequent international recognition were followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991. These developments made Ukrainian-Russian relations a major international issue. A new, difficult, and uncertain phase in these relations began with the establishment of these two independent, neighboring states. Since Russia would clearly remain a major world power, while Ukraine was the largest and one of the most populous states of Europe, those relations took on more than binational significance. The future of the post-Soviet order depends largely on how these two largely Slavic countries will work out their relations.

The editors of "Culture, Nation and Identity," representing the Seminar for East European History at Cologne University, the Harriman Institute at Columbia University and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta, invited 70 specialists to examine the Russian-Ukrainian encounter in four chronological symposia, from the 17th century to the present.

The present volume is a selection of 16 articles developed from presentations on the Ukrainian-Russian encounter from the early modern period to World War II. Historians and Slavists from Canada, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and the United States employ diverse methodologies to examine the many spheres in which Russians and Ukrainians and their identities and cultures interacted.

The publication of "Culture, Nation and Identity" has been generously supported by the Ukrainian Studies Fund Inc., New York, NY.

Until September 30, the book can be purchased as part of a special offer. For $28 (paper) or $38 (cloth), taxes and shipping included, readers can receive one copy of this new book and as a bonus a 415-page book by David Saunders "The Ukrainian Impact on Russian Culture, 1750-1850." Outside Canada the price is in U.S. dollars. Send orders to: CIUS Press, 450 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E8; fax, (780) 492-4967.

| Home Page |