EDMONTON, Alberta – As part of International Week on campus at the University of Alberta, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) on January 27 participated in two sessions devoted to the current war in Ukraine and the Euro-maidan revolution preceding it.
The first session, on “War and Revolution in Ukraine,” opened with a sketch of the background by Dr. Bohdan Harasymiw, acting coordinator of the Center for Political and Regional Studies at CIUS.
Recounting the course of events from the beginning of the Euro-Maidan demonstrations in November 2013 to the present day, he emphasized the unconventional nature of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He reported that, according to the United Nations, from mid-May 2014 to January 6 of this year, at least 4,808 people had been killed, 10,468 wounded, and 634,000 internally displaced, with a further 594,000 fleeing to neighboring countries, mainly Russia. Of the 5.2 million inhabitants remaining, 1.4 million were desperately in need of humanitarian aid. These casualties include 1,250 Ukrainian soldiers, but do not include 6,242 Russian soldiers killed or missing.
CIUS
During a lively discussion at the session.
Obviously, continued Dr. Harasymiw, civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, as is usual in today’s wars. Like the others, this war, in his opinion, will be very difficult to resolve. In the war of words accompanying this violent conflict, its political nature is too often overlooked, especially by the Ukrainian government. Kyiv must make more of an effort, said Dr. Harasymiw, to win over the people of the Donbas politically “by making conditions of life easier for them, countering the pro-Russian propaganda and treating refugees outside the conflict zone in a more humane manner.”
CIUS
A student shows support for Ukraine.
Dr. Harasymiw’s introduction was based on his presentation “War in Ukraine: Undeclared, Unacknowledged and Unabated” in the CIUS seminar series on January 20. (The text of his paper is available at http://ukrainian-studies.ca/2015/ 01/29/bohdan-harasymiw-war-ukraine-undeclared-unacknowledged-unabated/.)
In his presentation, Dr. Oleh Ilnytzkyj of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies (MLCS) at the University of Alberta, emphasized the cultural differences between Russia and Ukraine, and how these became apparent during the Euro-Maidan events. He also pointed out some of the excesses in which officials of the previous Yanukovych government had engaged during the rule of that corrupt regime. The most important result of the Euro-Maidan revolution, he stressed, was the change in the attitude of Ukrainian society from subservience to civic consciousness.
Drawing on a course about the Euro-Maidan co-taught with Dr. Ilnytzkyj in the fall of 2014, his colleague in MLCS, Dr. Natalia Pylypiuk, focused on the ecumenism generated by the Euro-Maidan. The extraordinary cooperation and collaboration among Christian clergy of all denominations, Muslim muftis and Jewish rabbis was truly remarkable, noted Dr. Pylypiuk, especially their common efforts in developing a theology of courage and overcoming the colonial legacy of submissiveness. She emphasized that, by working together, the various groups turned an ethnic nation into a political one embracing all ethnicities and religious backgrounds as proud Ukrainians.
Atiya Kanji, who took the course on the Euro-Maidan, offered an interesting comparison between the conflict in Ukraine and its long-standing Asian counterpart – the struggle for Kashmir involving India, Pakistan and China. Despite the seeming hopelessness of both situations, she concluded with an optimistic prescription for resolving such conflicts, including mutual respect and understanding. Now pursuing her undergraduate degree in political science, as well as studying history, French, German and Russian, Ms. Kanji hopes to study international law.
The second session on January 27 featured a showing of the film “Heaven’s Hundred,” produced by the Babylon ’13 studio. Briefly introduced by Jars Balan, administrative coordinator of the Kule Ukrainian-Canadian Studies Center at CIUS, the film was followed by the comments of Drs. Ilnytzkyj and Pylypiuk, as well as historian Dr. Heather Coleman, director of the Research Program on Religion and Culture at CIUS. A lengthy and lively discussion followed with a keenly interested audience.