Prospects for Studying Early Modern Ukrainian History, or On the Need for a Dialogue between the Political and Sociocultural Histories
1/2015
Forum AI
Does the History of Ukraine Have a Future?
SUMMARY:
Alexandr Osipian surveys the state of the field of Early Modern History in Ukraine over the past quarter century. He registers important developments in themes and approaches that marked the radical departure of Ukrainian historiography from the Soviet historical canon, and maps even more spacious lacunae still awaiting exploration by historians. They include understudied territories (such as the Crimean khanate) and themes (e.g., the history of everyday life), methodological approaches (including memory studies), and biographies of personalities not included in the conventional historical canon. In Osipian’s view, the key to success is the growing integration of Ukrainian Studies into the global historiographic process and cooperation in research with colleagues from other countries.