Mural on Ol'hyns'ka Street in Kyiv. An image that speaks to Ukraine's self-determination, diversity and unity. Photo: RF
Paper SL 9 Introduction to the Language, Literature, and Culture of Ukraine 2021-22 Ukraine is a dynamic country that is '“in between” in all possible ways', in the words of the intellectual Mykola Riabchuk. This paper introduces you to the rich language, literature, and culture of the largest country within the European continent, which is the site of a 'frozen conflict' in Crimea and an ongoing international armed conflict in Donbas. It seizes upon Ukraine's 'inbetweenness' - the historical permeability of its territorial, linguistic, and ethnic borders - as an opportunity to explore the interdependency of the cultures of Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region.
Ukraine owes its very existence to works of culture. Particularly in the early- and mid- nineteenth century, these humorous, tortured, satirical, sublime texts cultivated the idea of freedom at odds with aristocracy to the west and autocracy to the east. In this paper, you will explore these works while grappling with an extraordinary history that saw a modern nation defy sociopolitical gravity and evolve out of the periphery of three empires to establish a sovereign, independent state. You will trace the development of today's Ukraine from the burlesque travesty of Kotliarevs'kyi to the passionate romanticism of Shevchenko, from the feminist stories of Kobylians'ka to the postcolonial novels of Kurkov. You will recite poetry, debate novels, unroll canvasses, reinterpret folksongs, rekindle debates among the avant garde -- all the while acquiring a command of the fundamentals of the Ukrainian language.
Convenor: Rory Finnin
Instructors: Rory Finnin and Andrii Smytsniuk