Third International Congress of Ukrainian Historians held in Lutsk (07/09/06)

Third International Congress of Ukrainian Historians held in Lutsk

by Svitlana Havryliuk

Lutsk, Ukraine - The third International Congress of Ukrainian Historians was held on May 17-19 in the historic city of Lutsk in the Volyn region of Ukraine. The congress was hosted and organized by the Lesia Ukrainka Volyn State University.

Co-sponsors were the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Historical Association (United States, Ukraine, Europe, Canada), the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Ivan Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Scholarship of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, the World Scholarly Council of the Ukrainian World Congress, and the Historical Section of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the USA.

These international congresses, held every three years in Ukraine, were initiated by the Ukrainian Historical Association, which continues to be their main sponsor and organizer.

The Organizing Committee was headed by Prof. Ihor Kotsan, rector of the Lesia Ukrainka Volyn State University; Prof. Lubomyr Wynar, president of the Ukrainian Historical Association, head of the World Scholarly Council and editor of the Ukrainian Historian; and Volodomyr Bondar, head of the Volyn Regional Administration.

Serving as vice-chairs of this committee were Academician Valerij Smoliy, director of the Institute of Ukrainian History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Academician Iaroslav Isaievych, director of the Ivan Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Scholarship of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and member of the presidium of the Ukrainian Historical Association; and Prof. Svitlana Havryliuk, vice-rector of the Lesia Ukrainka Volyn State University and head of the Lutsk branch of the Ukrainian Historical Association.

The over 400 historians who participated in this congress came from various Ukrainian regions, as well as from Poland, Germany, the United States, Canada, France, Italy and other countries.

The third congress continued the tradition of holding international scholarly historical conferences at major national universities in Ukraine every three years - a tradition that was established by the Ukrainian Historical Association in 2000 when the first International Congress of Ukrainian Historians was held at the National University of Chernivtsi with over 350 attendees. The second International Congress was held in Kamianets-Podilskyi with over 450 participants. Conference proceedings, containing all papers presented during these two conferences, have been published.

Scholars began arriving on May 16. That same evening they were treated to an escorted tour of historic Lutsk, as well as the Museum of the Volyn Icon.

At the official opening of the third International Congress of Ukrainian Historians the next day, the participants were greeted by Mr. Bondar of the Volyn Regional Administration, Mayor Bohdan Shyba, Rector Kotsan, Prof. Lubomyr Wynar, Dr. Isaievych and Vice-Rector Havryliuk.

In their opening remarks the speakers stressed the importance and necessity of continuing these international historical congresses because they provide scholars with the opportunity to discuss and focus on central topics in Ukrainian history within the context of world historiography, thereby defining the direction of the future development of historical scholarship.

In his opening remarks Prof. Wynar noted that the present congress was taking place on the 140th anniversary of Mykhailo Hrushevsky's birth and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Hrushevsky studies as a separate field of Ukrainian scholarship. He stressed the importance of continued collaboration between Ukrainian historians, irrespective of their country of residence, as well as between Ukrainian scholarly institutions in the diaspora and those within Ukraine.

During the plenary session the participants examined important questions that need to be addressed in regard to the future development of Ukrainian historical scholarship.

Prof. Wynar presented an overview of the activity of the Ukrainian Historical Association within the context of world historiography and outlined the major issues to be addressed by present Ukrainian historical research. Dr. Isaievych presented the history of the international congresses of Ukrainian historians and analyzed the impact they have had in charting the course of Ukrainian historical sciences. He noted that up until 1991 there were two contradictory approaches to the interpretation of Ukrainian history: Soviet versus Ukrainian national historiography. However, today Ukrainian historians present one united historical approach.

Additional topics during this session included the following: Prof. Volodomyr Kosyk (France) focused on the terminological issues within Ukrainian history; Prof. Stanislav Kulchychkyj (Ukraine) analyzed the process of state-building in present Ukraine and how a legacy of brutal totalitarianism has affected this process; Prof. Oleksander Udod (Ukraine) identified the important issues relating to the "re-writing of history"; Prof. Volodomyr Serhichuk (Ukraine) discussed the role that contemporary historical scholarship must play in developing a national consciousness among the people of the Ukrainian nation; Dr. Irena Matjash (Ukraine) focused on the direction that fundamental historical archival research and scholarship must take within the context of present-day realities; and Prof. Stefan Kozak (Poland) analyzed the legacy left by Hrushevsky as it relates to Ukrainian history.

Following the general plenary session, the congress broke up into 13 sections covering all periods of Ukrainian history, as well as fundamental historiographical and methodological problems. Among some of the areas covered were historical theory and methodology, issues relating to historical sources, special historical disciplines and various aspects of Hrushevsky studies.

Some sections examined the various opposition movements in Ukraine during the second world war; Ukrainian ethnic lands beyond the present Ukrainian borders; the history of the Ukrainian diaspora; and Christian Churches and their role in the historical destiny of the Ukrainian people.

Other sections were devoted to examining present international problems and realities and how these affect Ukraine; Ukraine's position in world affairs and European geo-politics; and problems in retaining a national culture within the reality of globalization.

A special section analyzed various interpretations of Ukrainian history in the research and writings of foreign scholars, as well as examined the serious problem that continues to plague historians of world history from Ukraine in gaining recognition from their non-Ukrainian colleagues.

In addition to the topics covered during the opening and closing plenary sessions, 421 papers were presented within the 13 sections that ran concurrently during the duration of this congress.

Part of the program included the presentation of newly published books by the Ukrainian Historical Association, including Volume II of "Proceedings from the Second International Congress of Ukrainian Historians"; the third volume of Lystuvaniya Mykhaila Hrushevshkoho (from the series of Epistolary Sources of Hrushevsky Studies); Bohdan Wynar's "Economic Colonialism in Ukraine and Other Works"; and V. Piskun's "Political Choices of Ukrainian émigrés in the 1920's (Historical Monograph Series).

During the closing plenary session, important questions regarding the future development of Ukrainian historical studies, research and education were addressed. Participants were alarmed by the negative trend within technical universities and institutes of reducing the required hours that students must complete in Ukrainian history.

Serious discussion also focused on the importance of vigorously defending and promoting the Ukrainian language as a necessary and integral part in the further development of scholarly and scientific knowledge, the need to increase financial support for scholarly research and activity within Ukrainian universities, and the importance of supporting the emerging generation of scholars.

Toward the end of this session all participants voted on a number of resolutions and concluding statements. Participants noted serious concerns with respect to the failure to fully implement programs regarding the development and expansion of the Ukrainian language within Ukraine, the dismal state of affairs regarding the preservation of the Ukraine's national archives, and the need to accelerate the inclusion of an objective approach to Ukrainian historiography and terminology within world history.

During the congress Rector Kotsan conferred upon Prof. Wynar the title of honorary professor of history of Volyn State University in recognition of his contributions to Ukrainian historical scholarship both in Ukraine and in the diaspora, and his role as the initiator of these international congresses.

Prior to the conclusion of the congress the visitors were exposed to the arts and culture of the Volyn region at a concert sponsored by the Taras Shevchenko Theater of Music and Drama of Volyn. Guided tours provided the conferees the opportunity to further explore this historical city as well as to visit the monastery of Volodymyr Volynskyi and the Lesia Ukrainka Museum.

Prof. Svitlana Havryliuk is vice-rector of the Lesia Ukrainka Volyn State University.

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