Please join the Harriman Institute for a lecture by Tamara Hundorova. Moderated by Elise Giuliano.
This event is online only.
Tamara Hundorova will discuss the debate on the geocultural map of Europe in the first half of the 20th century, with reference to Dipesh Chakrabarti’s idea of the “provincialization of Europe.” The analysis will focus on the Ukrainian segment of the debate on Eurocentrism, which is considered in connection with Oswald Spengler’s concept of “European decline” and the postwar idea of “European crisis.” The study focuses on Mykola Khvylovy’s idea of the “Asiatic Renaissance” and Yuriy Shevelov’s concept of Ukrainian occidentalism. The mechanisms of orientalization, difference, and borderline thinking play a key role in these discussions.
M’s program here at Harman Institute and we are very happy to offer this lecture to you through the Ukrainian studies program here today I’ll just mention a bit about the format for today and then I will introduce our speaker and then I will turn over the floor so to speak to Professor
Hunda so today we are live streaming on YouTube as well as a webinar on zoom and I want to welcome everyone thank you for attending and um encourage you after the presentation after the lecture to write your questions in the Q&A if you are joining us in the webinar format
On zoom and um in the question comment if you are on YouTube um and then we will um the the the professor will answer address your comments or questions during the Q&A portion of our event today so we are very very pleased to host um a renowned Professor U Tamara
Hondura so I will in I will um let you know a little bit about her background if you are not familiar already uh she is the principal research fellow at The Institute of literature n as of Ukraine and an associate fellow at hurri Harvard’s Ukrainian Research Institute
Currently she is a visiting professor at Harvard University Professor hondura is a member of pen Ukraine she’s the author of leio Uka kigo cili just published in 2023 the post Chernobyl Library the Ukrainian postmodernism of the 1990s published in 2019 Transit Cultura as well as other
Books uh too numerous to mention in a brief biography um she has many articles and chapters on the subject of modernism postmodernism feminism Poston studies and the history of Ukrainian literature Professor hura has taught at Princeton and Harvard Universities at Toronto University at grial University Ki of
Moila and K of national universities she is a former Fullbright scholar visiting scholar of monach University and a recipient of the yatsuk distinguished Fellowship a foreign visitors fellowship at Hokkaido University in Japan and a fellowship of Phil Philip Schwarz initi of the Alexander V um organization so with that um
Impressive biography we are again very very pleased that you are willing to speak with us today um and to do so over Zoom so now I will uh turn over the floor to professor herova and um after she speaks we will have a um we’ll have
A period with a c question and answer thank you again for coming professor hondura for for your kind introduction as I’m I’m very pleased to to to join to be today with you and to have this opportunity to share my my thought on on this topic on provincialization of
Europe and um I’m especially very glad to be to be back and to um at hariman Institute which it was a m host institution um in when I was a full bread scholar so it’s it’s it’s wonderful it’s it’s my hor it’s a honor and pleasure to be back
Um I would like to to present today um my topic on provincialization of of Europe on on the Eastern FR Frontier from Asiatic Renaissance to Ukrainian occidentalism and I try to share my uh have you seen my my presentation no no have you shared screen yeah okay so um I’m sorry Um do you see share screen on the bottom no no no no I’m I’m so happy uh W okay yeah yeah I I just to share yeah okay yeah I yeah and here you see yes okay okay so uh could you could you just put it in um the
Format right exactly okay okay so um so I okay finally start uh one of the founder of in one of his interview recent interview um uh one of the F of colonizations and sub sases chorti has has stated that he he see he understand the colonization primarily is a movement within academic
Circle and it is aimed at uh revising the socalled vestern narratives in Canon and um that represent the highest achievement in literature and culture in general of course in the academic sphere the colonization imply a change in the Canon and reconsideration of the dominant Western narratives and actually chot as the
Authors of the authors of this idea of calization of Europe insist that the Western conon discriminates against other culture and the Western Historical narratives is I quote variation of on Master narrative that would be called the history of of Europe uh other word um the eurocentric historical Optics
According to him does not take into account the distinctive nor European history of other regions uh moreover Europe was a universal meaning in the office of historian and philologist as he and he said and provincialization of Europe means the recognition that there is there is not one only one Europe but
Many europees I quote there are and still are many europees real historical and fantasized um actually CH speaks of Euros centries from the perspective of India but from within Europe uh but from uh within Europe itself the question of provincialization seems no less relevant after all the Indian authors
Himself admit that his book has stimulated interest not only in other non-european countries but also in other European visin Europe itself Europe is different clarified when it comes to I to the position of non-european immigrants and Asylum Seeker in Europe or the question of turkey’s membership
Is the in the um EU or the question of the place and the role of postsocialist Eastern Europe and ofation actually this question became very topical it and seems to me and for instance one of of scholar lar g notes that provincialization of Europe also means provincialization within Europe
Itself and he he speaks especially of the provincialization of Scandinavia especially after um after a thousand 1 his idea is that there is no single European histor graphy but rather different response to modernization colonialism and nationalism in different countries in region within Europe itself and at the same time of course we
Know and on the outskirt of Europe which were not recognized as the center as the core of the West as well um uh we can see the struggling for the right to belong to the universal as it called European culture Ukrainian also has um had to fight for the right to belong to
Full-fledged European countries as it was called throughout the whole 20th century or even even even uh earlier the West uh constructed actually it um Ukrainian as well as it as it as that located between Europe and Asia the 20th centuries was particularly marked by the struggle of Ukrainian intellectual and
Politician to be part to to be recognized as a part of European modern history and to enter in this European history and European historiography narratives uh for another representative of the colonial C instance like wter Mina um the moving beyond the Western Canon can be understood in term of
Detachment from from the from his Canon through as he call it border thinking and Border thinking um according to mola is thinking is a epistemology of the exteriority that is of the outside created from the inside Transportation actually the recent growth of interest to border thinking is
Evidenced by the interest in the idea of provincialization which enable the decentralization or actually question the universal eurocentric entric narratives um I would like to quote and just to remind you about the the the idea the notion of historian who argues that I put Europe is an important part of Ukrainian
History just as you see this um picture uh and who see um who says that Europe is an important part of Ukrainian history just as Ukraine is an important part of European history and actually heed the argument that U what located on on the western edge of theasian Step Ukrainian
Has been the gateway to Europe for many centuries and of as moreover it is I put the result of the interaction of two moving borders one between the European steps and the Eastern European Forest step and the other between eastern and western Christianity actually that give this
Ukra let give Ukraine a unique place in European history actually personalization particularly with Vis it emphasize on the revision of the dominant Western conon of history and culture which has gained partic popularity and is very um it’s it’s actually it’s um uh reflects the experience especially in the third world
Countries as well post Colonial aspect may seem IR relevant to Ukraine uh but I think that it is not since the enlightenment um if you could for instance recall wolf Europe has been opening up its eastern European outskirts orientalizing them and perceiving them as it other the classification of Ukraine as a
Non-historical and stateless nation implicitly means that Ukraine has not undergone modernization in its Western verion and has been Rel relegated to the margin of European civilization I’m liter for me is very interesting many this discussion this question of of the literary modern or cultural modern for
Instance or um can we speak for instance only about one European modernism or can we speak about many European modernism as well so this question is also um link to the to the idea of penalization and and decolonization as well um as Muk has noted throughout the Century I quot Ukraine has been
Desperately trying to to con to convince itself and the V that is that it is Europe not and not Russia or not Asia belonging to Europe and the European geocultural space is one of the most powerful idea of national self identification in Ukraine however this does not eliminate the criticism of
Eurocentrism that can be read in the history of intellectual and political s in Ukraine and are equ in the ideas of such a Ukrainian um leader and cultural activist and famous cultural authors like monish or even Yuri androvich Eastern European revision and of course there other historians philosophical ideas a
Concept so this only means that the colonization provincialization which is much discussing today has it own prehistory in Ukraine I’m going to talk today about how the idea of provincialization is equ in the ideas of 20th century Ukrainian intellectual in particular M and yri this is one hand
And also I will try to compare the nationalistic and the colonial conception of Euro of critic of eurocentrism and the colonization that represented by v conceptions um a prominent Ukrainian writer and publicist the leader of the Ukrainian cultureal Renaissance of the 1920s uh was the aor of the um slogan
Away from Moscow and also two very important concept for understanding the colonial Sy in Ukraine especially psychological Europe and Asiatic Renaissance they are mirror of the a anticolonial position is a literary debate of 1925 1928 about the way of developing post-revolution Ukrainian literature on the one hand and the way of modernizing
The national culture and the slogan away from Moscow aimed at breaking with the tradition of Russian culture which he identifies at this time with Christian dualism and inheriting slavism f argu that due to the absence of the real bourjois Russian culture was enabled to create how it called a
Positive attitude towards the world uh H is Russian Russian breath with Russians longing here hence it’s inheriting pism as phos as persisted in fact the entire pmics pical P of the Ukrainian critics is aimed at defending the right of Ukrainian literature to develop its own National tradition moving in the
Direction not of Russia but of psychological Europe as F State I I quot uh by by Europe he means not only technical achievement but also most important a psychological category a certain type of cultural factor in historical process a certain revolutionary method thus in his cultural cultos opical Vision
Philos turn to the ideal category of psychological Europe he considered this stop of the social individual who uh who I quote is the properly of all classes as this and as this um determining Factor on the representative of this stop uh we see for instance the Roman
Emper Augustus volter as well as Marx Luther Babel F and Su following OS P of course concept of f European culture defining them through uh put the European intellectual in the best sense of the word he also identify f with the state that is the class Factor the birth
Of the Bazi and its romantic impulse of the St and Dr period psychological Europe in pH understanding this designated not only the ideal type of culture but also act as a Marxist historical and social category calling himself a western F simultaneously present himself as an AO
Envy of envoy of asan to Europe I quote Asia is um Asia is again entering the broad historical Road for Argus the long millennial long rest of Eastern human materials is a period of accumulating of energy for the V Universal task and only this energy is a to read Europe out of
The civilizational period of the declining type of culture and ofation for we himself defined his location as Eurasia where he envisions um I quote the Southeastern Republic of commun the her of revolutionary movement which has nurtured a type of revolutionary conquistadors from here from the Southeastern Republic of commun of
Soviet Ukraine we come the renewal that Europe so much awaits uh for um I quote our Russia STS on the vge of two large territories to energy since we are the Vanguard of the four cultural culture historical type and argu FY referring of course to the
Span theory of a new cycle of European civilization that you come from from from um Asian in Siberia Ukrainian Ukraine has a special role to play in this historical mission to save Europe which is experiencing its Decay according to F uh on this geocultural map of Eurasia uh when we place uh
Place it Place Ukraine on the Eastern Asian Highway he directly leads to the Asian the S to Bic Revolution and the spiritual and energy of bism and he argue this that actually this the young Soviet republics to which he includes Soviet Ukraine it is Ukraine according
To F it is the Southeastern Republic of communes um in its step it it U it created this type of revolutionary conistor or Anarchist uh that has been nurtured in Revolutionary B battles um in idea of an Astic Astic Renaissance for all the SPs of the Reviving East in
Consistently Western like it was born in the west Western and in his basic concept in driving forces forign within European culture European cultural and philosophical thought and European tradition attributing himself to Asian conistor admits that I quote only the attitude to to to to the westernism convey to us commanding H he deny
Endless similarity is also very important between his Asiatic Renaissance and euren and panslavism and he put panslavism LED to an original East and IDE and an idealistic messianism but are we talking about the originality of Asia for we ask and argue against the his critics indeed the main point of the
Asian Renaissance is not to seek Asia’s distinct identity but to construct it along the line of The Accidental one for dreams of dreams of Conquistador of the Great East capable of comparing the west and leading mankind on the path of Communist Revolution but at the same time he Converses that I quot asianist
Stors are first of all fness his reflection on Asia a V and metaphysical he identify it as with the winds from Asia or with the Asian Highway his knowledge does not go beyond the boundary of the traditional Western concept of the East the image of the new
Revolutionary Asia serves him as the a through which he tries to renew European culture and place Ukrainian literature in a p europan context atic Renaissance is a powerful cultural philosophical concept of for away which of course refer to to his time and to his idea his to his believe
In the blue commune as well uh and it was undated by his contemporaries only in the period after um after the second world war this concept is Reviving in discussion about the future of postwar Europe and Ukraine place in it and especially among the professor and Scholars associated with the Ukrainian
Free University in Munich and in the intellectual circle of the displaced person’s Camp of the Ukrainian artistic movement soal Mo um Mo was founded in 1945 by a group of Ukrainian artist um writers and and and artists as well in Exile in the dis in the displaced person Camp uh first of for
Publishing purpose but also to fulfill a special mission to develop it to create a modern style Ukrainian mod of Ukrainian culture and to create a kind of great literature uh this period is is very important in history of Ukrainian culture in Ukrainian history as well Ukrainian diaspora it’s very productive
And creative in the sense of of uh literature culture uh developing of philosophical cultural and political ideas as well throughout the 20th century Europe was an object of desire and cultural ideal for many ukra intellectual however the situation in Europe changed dramatically after the second world war and the map of Europe
Borders and identity change of course changed the so-called the crisis of European identity became man one of the main topics of political cultural philosophical discussion of the time in 1946 an International Conference the European mind was held in Geneva attended by such leading as participation such leading European intellectual philosopher like Albert
Kamu J Lage Carl bars C Jaspers and others Jaspers in his speech in the confer Jaspers asking what is Europe what is what is Europe position the change Bo what can we expect for European self-consciousness he you see Europe not just geographically but as a spiritual principle a principle of the
Vest qu him today the center of gravity of Western mon is moving away from Europe into the White plan of America and Asia he confessed and at the time he emphasized that Europe is today become aware by contract of it po character and there about losing its absoluteness at
The same time he emphasized that like would Europe con contain the holy places of the West just as there just as there are other holy places in China and India for the Astic world and ofation the crisis of the Europe European um okay I’m sorry um the crisis of the European
Mind or a new phrase of Europe decline is a postwar period is linked to the process of decolonization that take take place at the time and um uh some kind of disenchantment with eurocentrism the situation introduced new geographical and epistemological factor in the deite on eurocentricity and post period and
The Ukrainian Trace is also present in this debates the concept of accidentalism was formulated in V disertation the eological foundation of occidentalism that was written in Munich in 1946 4748 and devoted to I quote analyzing the concept of the west or rather the West opposition to the
East um the concept of the of the this is some information about V yanu and so Yan state that concept of the vest is not clear that the concept of Europe is fluid and he points out that the term Europe has a double meaning it is not a
Heric place name but also an imaginary con imaginary constructed entity with I put specific sensual and evaluating coloring thus the West become synonymous with all that was positive and Western culture was identified with the pin neck of the achievement of the human spirit and he emphasized and what European
Culture was given the banner of superiority Monopoly and uniqueness to develop his idea he he relies on the concept of the people’s spirit with her’s idea um and ending with Will W’s psychology of people and vulcan’s psychology which presented the people’s Spirit as a trans individual mental
Structure with spring over time within a given Community gives rise to culture n Shon soles nationalism russal series as well a v to power voluntarism as well and and nationalism are also Eed in Yan theory of psychological accidentalism but actually Ukrainian perspective is the main Horizon of expectation and the
European crisis in the post war wars serve as a background of his conception is the Eternal ideal of Europe ail or not ask Yan and he not Ukrainian role in the spiritual life of the vest will be different depending on whether our spirituality is identical or diametrically opposite to that of the vest
Ination Yan links development of national Consciousness in Ukraine with the idea of accidentalism since according to him I quote to overcome the crisis it is necessary to establish the concept of the vest as an ideal to which we should Spire this accidentalism does not mean imitation imitating the west but
Constructing an ideal model of the West that can be incorporated to Foster the European type of mentality in Ukraine the idea of psychological accidentalism will will help distinguish Ukrainian identity from Russian identity this is one of the main idea of of um of um Ser
By Y and Al and also it can legitimize its mission to the east because according to Yan the spirituality of the East is iot fully formed and developing in the opposite direction actually Yan concept is imbued with eurocentrism and messianism to which the Ukrainian scholar at a nationalist and religious
Character um and um it is uh it is very very important that in opposition to yanu and his nationalistic conception um he also see um Europe as a one nation and this idea is also very important for his perception and Yuri Sher Yuri Sher uh develops his own idea of
Accidentalism um and uh when uh Yan refers to and mention don’t s and has it don’t s influence nationalism don’t um refers to’s idea Yuri shov is was a prominant Slavic linguist and philologist essayist literary historian and literary critics who was born in har so he lived under Soviet time and then
He he fled um the Red Army offensive and intered the Ukrainian fa University in Munich in 19 in 194046 where he defended his doctoral dissertation he was also a leading figure uh of the Ukrainian art movement in 1947 48 yishu was deeply interested in the problem of the West in several
Publication articles he analyze the so-called crisis of Europe by addressing to famous British historian Arnold Toby whose position he defend as a perhaps unconscious but a constant glorification of modern Western Civilization he questions St be Ser despite the fact that the British historian was recognized at the time the greatest Ukrainian European historian
After the publication of the Abed six volume of study of history in in 1946 in his civilization on trial in 1948 in his critics of to Bish resort to revision of the entire idea of the vest I put there is not only one Fest and culture in the war he argues claiming
That there are diversity of European National culture culture from the point of view of this y the colonizing Nation he criticized the idea of a crisis of Europe and refers to vestern CI civilization as a kind of imperialistic I quote ver to be blinded with his National civilization the civilization
Of in Sister since the end of the world um uh he stress referring to the postv colonization Movement we say no no because right now the world is beginning to belong to us in our system um General shov characterized his position as a Ukrainian immigre as
Follow we prefer to have I put we prefer to have the vest as our only but in the end our principal position is determined not by the position of the west but by the destiny of our and ofation so he set Ukrainian immigration the task of correct of correctly
Diagnosing the vest disease but at the same time he reject this deception uh that he see in such clich phrases um such as I what Ukraine’s belonging to Europe or I the defense of European Christian civilization so he wants to his idea was to to diagnose the vest
Disease and also to inscribe Ukrainian as a as a nation this history this culture into this European All European narrative in response to this crisis of Europe she calls the Ukrainian to decolonize uh not the not to hugle like vot against Europe but to realize and
Develop their own n and thus save Europe he said for him the crisis of European civilization is a process of decentralization decolonization of Europe itself emphasiz that when all centers decline peripheries his new National values replac them and became new centers in his Colonial apotosis in messianism which disembl p idea of the
Provinal provincializing of Europe enriched by Marxism also sh both criticize and refer to Toby he reject Toby as a politician and suggest that using his idea of Challenge and response and actually to be ar in the study on history and civilization arise in response to particular set of challenges
Caused by extraordinary difficulties and see this challenges diff difficulties in the Ukrainian Borderland location between Europe and Asia I quote um here to seems to be telling us directly that it is ridiculous for us to gole against Europe versus versus Asia and even more so against Eastern
European parodies of Europe as well as a natural for Ukraine to be in Moscow brotherly Embrace of its current objectively anti-european positions the role we have is precisely that of a stone which is not included in the structure of the west or in the structure of the East and now we can
Become the corn Stone of a new building which will absorb everything from both sides both society and culture beyond the west east opposition and the discourse of euros centries shov um shalov discovered how to he called it nonwestern peoples of Asia he Wars against neglecting I put Mongols seits
And fins uh pointing out that um I qu um uh we talk about the Asian Renaissance but at the same time um wrinkle our not at the site of an Eastern person and actually his version of Ukraine identity is B on the idea that Ukraine
Is is uh both um uh Europe and Asia at the same time that it is its Destiny is not only to be in Europe but also in Asia but also as you see he speaks about some particularity of Ukrainian regarding in east and west as well he
Also emphasiz that I put relation with turkey Iran Japan Georgia and Vietnam v a game nor a disgrace and he add knew this so we have this reference to to to and that that let us say right now that to what to does not see when he spoke of the Asian
Renaissance a Renaissance that tastes all the best from Western society that in this say continue Western Society but renew it with its not yet historical spirit that y Lia conditionally P conditionally baptize the name of the Eternal peasant Spirits actually sh referred to to Yuri Lia one of Ukrainian Al philosopher and
Thinker who tried to develop the idea of a special special um character of Ukrainian settlement and also refer to to the idea of nomadism to to to influence of stab s of Ukraine and um develop this kind of of Eternal peasant Spirit um actually the above mentioned conflict in position is the post
Discussion of the European problems the West idea cental and only one of the fragment of a big Ukrainian intellectual history that was discussing the place of Ukrainian history and in relation to Europe as well it reveal a certain continuity of historiosophical concept in their development during the first
Half of the 20th century from F to shu the inclusion of Ukrainian historiographical Concept in contemporary postcolonial and the colonial discussion seems to me is a very particularly relevant issue today in need to to further investigation Ukrainian discussion about the fate of Europe and opposition to e centes of
Powerful cultural context they have historical and political character they reflect the influence of the main ideology of their time nationalism communism they refer to Don and f as a maybe U uh archetypal figure of this ideology uh this discussion touch on issue that became Global at the end of
20th century such as Clash of civilization the role of the elite critical eurocentrism and of course the colonization and priv priv calization issue um to reveal not only the they reveal not only the pH the phases or some idea of Ukrainian national history in relation to the All European
Narratives and political history of 20th century Europe but they also support they also confirm that Ukrainian intellectual had their of voice in this discussion thank you for your attention and I’m ready to to answer to your question thank you thank you Tamara really fascinating um set of comments
Um okay so let me urge um our guests and attendees to write any questions or comments you have in the Q&A if you are on zoom and in the um chat if you are joining us on on YouTube um okay well I have to admit this is a
Bit outside of my wheelhouse as a political scientist um but I I think that it’s really important to contextualize this ongoing um discussion that’s so relevant for the formation of national identity today especially in the post 2014 Ukraine I mean throughout I mean I think this
Really shows a lot of people the kind of longstanding um engagement with the idea of Europe and the uniqueness um of Ukraine or the the the kind of Engagement with the East and West that um has preoccupied Ukrainian intellectuals over the long duray um and
So for those of us who kind of come to the study of Ukrainian national identity in a post 1991 moment um it’s very informative um and and um gives much food for thought so I want to thank you for that um do you would you like to
Comment at all upon about um one of the preoccupations of you know For Better or For Worse political science U political scientists or or social scientists both in Ukraine and the West on this idea of Ukraine as um made up of regions and if there’s any kind of way in which the the
Kind of regional Identity or Regional background of intellectuals um has informed their um informed kind of their engagement with their ideas and their approach to understanding Europe or is that just another red herring should we not be at all concerned with the kind of um um social an intellectual mil in
Which the particular um thinkers that you focus on came from um and I don’t want to I don’t want to suggest that you know there’s this obviously I don’t want to suggest this kind of sharp divide between east and south and west Ukraine um and we know that there’s you know
Many much European engagement in East Ukraine but I just wanted to see if you have any thoughts on um the kind of you know home region or home city of the intellectuals that you engage with since um they come from you know so clearly one from VI and and one from
K thank you for it’s it’s maybe the main question um and and uh what I would like to to to to give you and to um to to speak today um is is to give some historical perspective uh going back to to the history of 20th century and actually the Ukraine became Ukrainian
Intellectual uh participated in this very Global very influential discussion about the future of Europe actually and um and of course um shalov and and Y in as well in some way of course they um they they represent and they have inise their National idea to develop Ukraine
To became to give Ukraine to help Ukraine to be a Modern Nation for instance to to be inscribed in his hisory in this um European history as well and not not like um just V victim something like that or or neighbor but also like a participant of this his
Story as well so of course it’s it has idealistic and utopian sometimes and romantic and ideological aspect or um for instance in in of course we have we F this idea of all proletarian revolution around the world as well and he he he was influenced by by this idea
And he used it also he tried to to give it historiosophical um uh interpretation um and also uh this sh are intellectual intellectual who after the second world war they they actually they um they appears in in the middle of Europe and uh uh their um their way back was actually impossible became
Impossible so they started they need to to to adj to be adjusted to this new situation so and and they so close they immersed actually in this Collision in this discussion on the on the so crisis of Europe so in there was they started to participate in this in this
Discussion and it’s for me it’s very important it doesn’t mean absolutely that they the idea was um was opposing to Europe for instance as well yeah it’s only this um I mean this this idea of provincialization of Europe does not does not mean the the changing or
Breaking with with Europe as well but it is just a kind of uh uh uh of epistemological historiosophical um Recreation of of of the historiosophical narrative or historical narrative or literary canon as well so um uh but um I um I use this example of shov and Yan
Who represent actually two not only two two position uh but their background was different um um for instance Yan was born in actually they was born in they was born in in 1908 one of them was born in VI was born like shov in har and so they represent
Different tradition different part of of of Ukraine you know but what they very interest they are both are interested in this um creating this kind of uh Ukrainian uh accidentalism and um of course the background and it’s it’s matter yes of course sh it was a Soviet kind of practice and Soviet um
Experience because he was involved and he lived in the Soviet time in harim before this world war uh to uh and Yan he he he he lived in in um uh in L he was arrested and imprisoned by Nazi and he also was influenced by by Meto and
Then he he he studies in in the in Berlin in Germany so uh but both this position actually um is very interesting because as as I as I um stress they all speaks about Europe they all cannot see Ukraine and without Europe they don’t want to oppose but nevertheless this um
This background his historical background of course plays play some role in their understanding of of this um um place of in um this discussion about Europe and um uh you know it seems to me even now when we for instance we talking about contemporary time because
As I told you this is only one fragment of many interesting historiosophical um discussion on about the uh national identity National spirituality Ukrainian spirituality for instance that sometimes uh stress the kind of nomic character of Step KX for instance past of Ukrainian as well or the difference between the
West and the east of Ukraine and different tradition and and belonging to different Empire as well uh but uh uh we we can see now that we can speak about this that Ukraine of course is a part of this U this situation where this globality Global and local unit so and
Actually this discussion it seems to me it’s very important that we we can uh this discussion actually um Echo um the idea of contemporary postcolonial de Colonial postcolonial movement and post Colonial sying as well this is thank thank you for that okay um I’m going to uh read the
Questions and actually tomorrow if you don’t want to refer to your slides anymore then I suppose you could stop sharing screen yeah okay great okay thanks so now we have a comment question from Wales Brown um fil’s ideas sound similar to the Russian eurasianism that is associated with
Chetco and others in the early 20th century did he in fact learn from them and adopt some of their ideas sorry sorry right okay if you want to answer um if yeah yeah yeah yeah this is very very interesting one of the very interesting question of course um of course we can
See and and we know and um uh we can see this some some uh parallel parallel and some uh ideas that reminds remind us um about in and eism as well um but um uh and I would say that uh actually was influenced by by this philosophy it
Seems to me starting from the beginning 20th century Russian philosophy as well um uh but um his idea was because his idea was to to to break with this tradition as well and he and he actually stressed that his idea was not to to uh to emphasiz not not to to outline the
Speciality of ureia as as such for instance yes uh but just to to to show that um that a new kind of uh spirituality of but revolutional spirituality not not in the sense of Russian and they speak about special Spirit of Eurasia like identity like that opposed to to Russia itself and to
To Europe as well but is taken from from from Asia from Siberia or Mongols for instance yeah so in this say in this in this aspect this uh this idea and this conception are absolutely different um main idea for was of course the development of Ukrainian Ukrainian national culture and
To develop and to bring a new kind of um a new kind of energy of Vitality uh because one of his idea was romantical vitalism and he of course like Russian EUR urist and F they were both influenced by spanders of course the main sources for for their uh um
Conception conception was um taken from from uh spanders and Sh sh confess and very often he refers to shanger as well and um so it’s it’s it’s very interesting is to to look further and to analyze uh similarity and differences between the two to to kind of conception
As well so it’s absolutely very need to be to be discovered and to be analyzed F yeah thank you and uh now we have a question from Emma Matteo who is a postdoctural fellow in Ukrainian studies here at Herman Institute um to she asks to what extent has Russia’s war in
Ukraine influenced these kinds of discussions there seems to be a stronger discourse about Ukraine as belonging to Europe in opposition to Russia and a framing of the invasion as a European War yeah uh you know it’s part of my book I work I work on my on this
Book maybe 10 years so it started not not not now absolutely so and um of course it’s uh um when I look as I told already I I was interested in history of 20th century especially um uh St in this idea of orientalization and accidentalism and um I try to you
Know the idea of O of accidentalism is very popular and actually we have actually it’s F all field of of orientalis Syria in different aspect in different conception as well um that was born in the postcolonial um countries and was developed by by postc Colonial and the colonial uh
Theorist uh so um in some way uh we can see also some similarity between accidentalism and the talking Ukrainian this variant and also the uh variant that we we have around the world uh but um uh I would I would for instance uh uh stress and would like to stress that um
It is not kind of the ocidental is like in the famous book by bruma and I forgot the name the are the names that that actually is a very um anti-western anti-european like position um that has very anti- European like position because for uh for the for Ukrainian who
Represent this created this kind of accidentalist in the middle of 20th century they they don’t have such a feeling at all it was absolutely different they have such a kind of resentment to toward toward Europe as well so it is very very important so and
I for me because I I’m interested in the colonial postcolonial the and thinking and I work in this field so um I try to to to use it to compare this um kind this new theory that develop in the um in regard of accidentalism in in in different country in different Orion as
Well and to compare with Ukrainian because in some way um I see that they all um has this kind of uh of uh of the colonial antic Colonial idea they bring this idea but recently for inst it is very important because we have this the difference the difference between this
This between uh ocidental is is developed in the middle of the 20th century in by Ukrainian intellectual and contemporary um orientalism Syria um became uh became became uh actually with the start of contempt of Russian Ukrainian War start to be uh revealing very very very large for instance I was
I was um struck by the fact that um uh Walter minola he published recently his interview where he says that actually um all all all the colonial movement and was was um was directed against eurocentrism and actually the process of death westernization of the V and making a
Multipolar vision of the V uh became obvious but now with the beginning of the war in Ukraine uh um the this this process stopped and now we see the element or re rization as well that demonstrate this position Ukraine in the West toward Ukraine so uh actually for
Me personally it’s it’s true that we have to be care car careful when we took the idea the the the theoretical idea taken from the other context historical cultural as well when you take it and we and we use it for the other context for instance
Like in Ukraine so um uh so it seems to me this this aspect this this idea is is is need to be to be also to be to be to be developed yeah as well I’m sorry could you repeat what um the ual or the person that you were reading that was
Referring that you just referred to okay thank you actually he he say have his cation I just didn’t but he say that um uh he consider actually he consider Russia to be one of so-called U countries along with China Iran as well in India and turkey which are balancing
I quote on the edge Between Two Worlds and and so so he he continue actually this anti-western anti-western anti um antio euroc Centrist idea and refer to contemporary situation and position of Russia China and the other well so it’s it’s it’s it’s demonstrate how how um how hot this question became
Now it’s it’s really interesting also this this point about being careful about applying ideas from one historical moment um and sort of seeing a continuous through line because it seems like there’s a lot of in poopular thought and poopular culture emphasis on legacies from the past and you know
There’s always of course we talk about Soviet legacies a lot but in terms of intellectual history there’s a lot of um te temptation to see a a continuous through line in um Ukrainian intellectual thought and it’s you know it’s interesting when you were talking about resentment of Europe that some of
These intellectuals have because you do hear at least I did in some of my public opinion research um some Expressions prior to 2022 about resentment of of the great Powers a resentment even of Europe and yet it coexists with the among other Ukrainian citizens with this you
Know desire to be European or part of European institutions and it’s really it’s really interesting I found in my own research like this tension really fascinating um and and I wonder the degree to which it’s um it’s sort of dissipated since the war since there is this kind of need for Technical and
Financial Reliance on Europe but um but you know whether those kinds of ideas um are sort of there for a long time um and and where they came from so at least this has been really stimulating for me to think about the kind of intellectual legacies of of these kinds of attitudes
Toward Europe versus attitudes toward um not just Russia but the rest of the world the rest of the world um with various ukrainians embracing them or feeling uncomfortable about the the idea of Ukraine is in between anyway I’m rambling a bit but it’s just really thought-provoking and um I I want to
Thank you for May May comment as well yeah when we’re talking about the war and contemporary situation of course the idea the idea of belonging to the Europe and to be part of the Europe be be became much stronger and be became obvious for instance for all Ukrainian
Because without Europe we cannot imagine our the future of Ukrainian as well and we see also how how active European countri well in EU how how active and how activ helped Ukrainian to overcome this in the sense of military help as well and humanitarian as well so it’s
It’s it’s amazing so actually now we see it seems to me when the Europe uh uh and starting from this war we see that Europe became more open for Ukrainian as well and Europe became understand Ukrainian much more much more and it is very also important because uh we have
Now this this situation of a dialogue between Ukrainian and and Europe as well you know and not not only so Ukrainian became actually the subject of of this relationship as well so and and and this is this is very important but but at the same time of course um and actually this
Discussion that I try to to to to to um to to show you to to demonstrate um uh show that of course each of country has their own um own interest as well and their own tradition as well and what what the European Union is is important because it gives
This possibility to to develop the popularity of each countries as well yes and is what very very important because Ukraine in some way somebody call it a new new nation so something like that I quoted new nation but but nevertheless so that is on the his way to the to to
Democracy to modernization to uh to to Freedom as well and as we see now the Ukrainian became like on this for poost or something like very very vital sources of that brings a new and or that brings new spirit in you new energy as well to the Europe itself so and
Actually this is the idea that resonate is something that was and and and specially sh tried to to to express as well so um it’s it seems to me it’s very very important to keep in mind this this aspect as this context that’s really interesting yeah this kind of echo of this
Yeah right and that’s a big shift I would say even from 2022 this idea of the dialogue with Europe and the and the kind of what Ukraine can teach or offer to Europe which is something that you didn’t really hear after 2014 so much but now it’s definitely part of the part
Of the discourse that’s really interesting and and and there there’s there’s a and you can find it in the earlier thought of Ukrainian thinkers as well well thank you for that insight and um the many Rich ideas Associated could you tell us just a little bit more about the
Book project and um how your talk today is situated in the larger Book Project and and when we might expect um I don’t want to ask that any kind of question with pressure but you know yeah but because I I now I I teach here so and I
Understand that it is not easy to combine so yeah but um this is this book actually this chapter of this book will be dedicated to to to this accidentalism this idea and also the idea of Europe not only in in in this kind of discussion but the lit itself it was
Created because actually this is in more in post war period this one of the best main Ukrainian modernist text were created and written actually in Munich and published in Munich in Munich as well and the idea of Europe became a part actually of even even even the um
Uh uh context that was discussed in in this text as well and I refer for instance to Victor Petro who is a histori and he also use this idea of different historical cultural epochs as well so this idea of of to be and and span we very very at that time so this
Is one of especially Sho because I I I plan to work far more with SHO and maybe even to prepare a book especially about sh and um so this is my my my idea and the other was Will dedicated to chapter and Asiatic Renaissance but also um a kind of orientalization of har
Because he speaks about har he in cision between the city and the step as well is also kind of it’s It’s one of the idea of writing cultural Sophia as well so and it was very important for me to to to look at this aspect so it’s and and yeah
This is my my idea yeah very interesting okay well we will look forward to that in the future I think everyone is um struggling to not only balance teaching and yes intellectual work of our own interests but trying to keep up with the war and the News cycle surrounding the
War which is just so um difficult and emotionally draining yeah um okay actually great I was gonna I was going to mention this a question from from Wales Brown about Cheval Yol when he was at Columbia University he taught Linguistics and slavis in the US thought
Of him as primarily a linguist though we knew he was also the editor of suha snist but did he continue to be important as a cultural scholar and and wasn’t Cheval the reason that we had Ukrainian language taught at Columbia University so long ago in the
1940s which was one of the first places that had Ukrainian that’s my own yeah yeah yeah sh yeah it’s very uh it’s very important you know um um to disc to discover sh also like um uh European like um European cultural so and sinker as well he was a
Famous linguist famous linguist and he he he taught at Colombia University you know and um and his archives is already it seems to be his part his par or maybe all of his archiv archives now in at Colombia and was given to Colombia University to arches Colombia University
And um but he also very beautiful he was excellent essayist as well and is say uh they they they like a window in the life of um of of Europe and of Ukraine and also into discussion actually his essays and his articles they come they they
Combine so he he developed his idea not only in a special uh text dedicated to uh that had pical or informational character but also in the in his essay as well which is also very very important and it seems to me unfortunately um Ukrainian needs to me
And we needs we needs to open to open our our past open our um our big Heritage that we have and specially sh sh shov works and figure as well so it’s very very important to to to to have and to to to study thank you for that yeah and it’s
It’s important for the kind of institutional um history of Ukrainian studies in colia which we’re trying to bring a little more attention to this in a as a Institute um and um so that’s uh that’s something that I think a lot of the um the people and Scholars associated with um Columbia and
Heram Institute would be interested to hear to learn more about shalof um in addition to his work as a linguist so um I I want to just ask if you have any final comments or if anyone in the audience has any final comments um it’s been a already although it’s quite early
It’s been a a long day for Professor Hova because she already taught her class today in the morning um so I don’t want to you know Bel labor or ask you to do extra labor here oh and she’s coming to New York for the NC’s conference at NYU on Saturday
Um and there will be um a panel on um Ukrainian literature and Ukrainian studies or more than one at that conference so um she’s got a lot of work ahead of her this weekend and this is this has already been a very long discussion but if
Anyone I don’t want to cut off the discussion so if anyone has any final questions now is the time um and if not then um I would I would again like to thank um Tamara for really fascinating um and and really new at least for me personally um um set of
Insights and we look forward to your book to your future work um and thank you so for give me this opportunity to share my thought because you know it’s very important to have to to to share them and it stimulate and give the desire to work to work far and to
Continue yeah right thank you so much thank you for thank you for the question thank you for for to all for being with me thank you thank you and um thanks to our audience members for coming today um and then I will just mention that um this
Will be recorded and it’ll be posted on Harman institute’s website well a link to the um Talk will be posted on our YouTube channel and that we have more events coming up and if you’re not on the to list um or the Ukrainian studies program list um you are welcome to email
Me or really any anyone at Harman Institute and we will add you to our list serve so thanks again thanks to eileene for organizing and keeping things running smoothly thank you tomara and I hope you um can get some rest today before coming to New work this weekend thank you thank
You for inviting me take care thanks everyone bye bye bye bye