New Books in Ukrainian Studies: Laboratory of Modernity Ukraine between Empire and Nation, 1772–1914

January 29, 2024 | 4:00PM - 6:00PM
 | 
In-person
Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine, Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CERES), Europe & Eurasia

This event is over

This event took place in-person at Room 108N, North House, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, M5S 3K7
Serhiy Bilenky presented his new book Laboratory of Modernity Ukraine between Empire and Nation, 1772–1914
 
When the powers of Europe were at their prime, present-day Ukraine was divided between the Austrian and Russian empires, each imposing different political, social, and cultural models on its subjects. This inevitably led to great diversity in the lives of its inhabitants, shaping modern Ukraine into the multiethnic country it is today.
 
Making innovative use of methods of social and cultural history, gender studies, literary theory, and sociology, Laboratory of Modernity explores the history of Ukraine throughout the long nineteenth century and offers a unique study of its pluralistic society, culture, and political scene. Despite being subjected to different and conflicting power models during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ukraine was not only imagined as a distinct entity with a unique culture and history but was also realized as a set of social and political institutions. The story of modern Ukraine is geopolitically complex, encompassing the historical narratives of several major communities - including ethnic Ukrainians, Poles, Jews, and Russians - who for centuries lived side by side.
 
The first comprehensive study of nineteenth-century Ukraine in English, Laboratory of Modernity traces the historical origins of some of the most pressing issues facing Ukraine and the international community today.
 
 
Serhiy Bilenky is a research associate at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta.  
Co-Sponsor: Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine Co-Sponsor: Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies Co-Sponsor: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
Petro Jacyk Program for the Study of Ukraine, Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CERES), Europe & Eurasia
Olga Kesarchuk olga.kesarchuk@utoronto.ca

Speakers

Serhiy Bilenky

Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta

Alison Smith

Professor & Chair, Department of History, University of Toronto

Olga Andriewsky

Associate Professor, Trent University

P.R. Magocsi

Professor; John Yaremko Chair of Ukrainian Studies

Frank E. Sysyn

Director, Toronto Office of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies