CIUS Newsletter 2011 Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies 4-30 Pembina Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H8 Zaporizhia Branch of the Kowalsky Institute: In memory of Professor Anatolii Boiko Since the 1990s, a group of schol- ars in Zaporizhia headed by Anatolii Boiko has been actively researching the history of the steppe region of Ukraine. The sad news of the sudden death of this very talented historian and expert in source studies and archaeography was a blow to the whole Ukrainian academic community. Professor Boiko was head of the Department of Source Studies, Histori- ography, and Special Historical Disci- plines at Zaporizhia National Univer- sity. He also headed the Yakiv Novytsky Zaporizhia Scholarly Society and the Zaporizhia branches of the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Institute of Ukrainian Ar- chaeography and Source Studies (Na- tional Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) and of the Kowalsky Eastern Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Directing all these Serhii Bilivnenko, head of the Yakiv Novytsky Society, taking an interview in a village in institutions, Dr. Boiko supervised many southern Ukraine important projects, the final products region was wild and undeveloped. tive Commission of 1767), Materialy of which found their way to both the A series of fundamental archaeo- do istoriї administratyvnoho ustroiu scholarly community and broader audi- graphic publications was initiated by Pivdennoї Ukraїny (druha polovyna ences. the Zaporizhia branch. Ten volumes XVIII–persha polovyna XIX st. (Materi- Source studies, which deal with the have been published in the series als on the History of the Administra- discovery, analysis, and publication of “Source Studies in the History of Steppe tive System in Southern Ukraine in primary source materials on the history Ukraine of the Eighteenth and Nine- the Late Eighteenth and Early Nine- of steppe Ukraine of the eighteenth teenth Centuries”: Pravoslavna tserkva teenth Centuries), Opysy Stepovoї and nineteenth centuries, are one of na pivdni Ukraїny (The Orthodox Ukraїny ostannoї chverti XVIII–po­ the main scholarly endeavours of the Church in Southern Ukraine), Kan­ chatku XIX stolittia (Descriptions of Zaporizhia group. Such intensive work tseliariia Novoserbs'koho korpusu (The Steppe Ukraine of the Last Quarter of in Zaporizhia can be explained by the Chancellery of the New Serbian Corps), the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth fact that steppe Ukraine, as compared Formuvannia mytnoї merezhi Pivdennoї Centuries), and Memuary ta shchoden­ with other regions of the country, has Ukraїny (1775–1819) (The Formation nyky (Memoirs and Diaries) (in several been least studied and needs a revi- of the Customs Offices Network in books) and others. sion of the conceptual approaches that Southern Ukraine, 1775–1819), Stepova Twenty-five volumes have been prevailed before 1991. Among these is Ukraїna u Zakonodavchii komisiї 1767 published in the archaeographic series the assumption that prior to 1775 the roku (Steppe Ukraine at the Legisla- continued on page 4 CIUS Newsletter 2010 1 From the Director Looking Back: Two Decades at CIUS As I was writing this column, I scholarships, fellowships, and grants. works on Russo-Ukrainian relations, realized that it is my last as director It became a leading publisher and the support of publications and centres of CIUS. By the time the next News­ developer of publications in Ukrainian of historical study in Ukraine, and the letter appears, there should be a new studies. Its Ukrainian Language Educa- participation of CIUS scholars in the director in place, and by then I would tion Centre developed, published, and national and international develop- have served as director for almost two distributed an outstanding Ukrainian ment of Ukrainian historical studies. decades (eighteen years as director and language acquisition program. Not In undertaking this leadership one year as acting director). It was a only did CIUS research, organize and role, CIUS fostered the expansion and period of many transformations, ac- publish the five-volume Encyclopedia of globalization of Ukrainian studies. complishments, and, surprisingly, few Ukraine, but it continued the project as It initiated or participated in major defeats. an Internet publication. projects with Columbia, Cologne, Bar When I arrived in March 1992, Ilan, Vienna, Harvard, Munich, St. Pe- everyone at CIUS was working at fever tersburg, Cambridge, and East China pitch. As Ukraine gained its inde- Normal universities. It was through pendence, CIUS became a clearing CIUS that the University of Alberta house of information for the Canadian became a focal point of Ukrainian government and for Western academic, studies beyond Canada and established political, and business elites. New an international reputation in the field. opportunities presented themselves The University of Alberta acknowl- for undertaking academic projects in edged the stature of CIUS by recogniz- Ukraine. At the same time, CIUS had ing it as a centre of research excellence to fulfill its mandate in Canada by in 1998 and as part of an emerging area continuing projects such as the Ency­ of research excellence in Central and clopedia of Ukraine, the curriculum for East European Studies in 2001. bilingual schools, and providing re- The challenge of newly indepen- sources for the Ukrainian community. dent Ukraine extended well beyond It was clear that the demands of academia. CIUS was expected to pro- newly independent Ukraine were over- vide leadership in assisting Ukraine’s whelming the Institute. If CIUS was to transition to a democratic society and achieve measurable long-term results, Zenon Kohut a free-market economy. Thus, CIUS it needed greater systematization, Without doubt, CIUS has become a initiated several large-scale projects. with a clear delineation of priorities, leading centre for the study of Ukrai- Through a series of conferences, the functions, and responsibilities. Thus, nian history. Much activity was centred Canadian Ukrainian Business Initia- Dr. Frank Sysyn, Dr. Danylo Husar on the translation, editing, and publi- tive attempted to establish contacts Struk, and I worked out a plan for a cation of Mykhailo Hrushevsky’s clas- between Ukrainian and Canadian busi- fundamental reorganization of CIUS sic ten-volume History of Ukraine­Rus'. nesses. Two large-scale projects funded into separate components, each with The Hrushevsky Translation Project by the Canadian International Devel- its own director, personnel, allocated required extensive research, as each opment Agency (CIDA) attempted funds, and programs. In essence, we volume was provided with an updated to reform the legislative process in created a template not only to serve scholarly apparatus and an in-depth Ukraine. Senior parliamentary, govern- current needs but also to take on new analysis by a leading historian. Other ment, and other Ukrainian participants projects in an orderly and consistent history projects included the research- came to Canada in order to gain broad manner. ing, writing, and publication of a com- knowledge of Canadian public-policy The seeds planted in the early prehensive multi-volume interpretative approaches and processes. Another 1990s were carefully cultivated for the history of Ukrainians in Canada, the effort, the Ukrainian Transparency next two decades. CIUS promoted development and completion of a His­ and Election Monitoring Project, sent Ukrainian studies by awarding under- torical Dictionary of Ukraine, the initia- Canadians to Ukraine in 2004 in order graduate, graduate, and postgraduate tion and publication of fundamental to give seminars on election laws, 2 CIUS Newsletter 2011 From the Director policies, and procedures for local of- Akademiia (Kyiv Mohyla Academy), friends, and donors who have given me ficials; some also acted as international and Kur’ier Kryvbasu (the only Ukrai- such support. I wish the new director observers. nian literary journal in the Kryvyi Rih every success and offer any assistance Considering the current difficul- region). that I can provide when he or she faces ties in Ukraine, one may question the The many initiatives and accom- the challenges of a new generation and impact of these projects. Recently I plishments of CIUS would not have era. asked the opinion of Senator Raynell been possible without an unprecedent- Andreychuk, who served on the gov- ed fund-raising effort. When I came erning board of the CIDA project. She to CIUS, most of the budget came assured me, on the basis of her exten- from funds allocated by the university. sive experience not only in Ukraine but Currently, less than 30 percent of the also in Africa, that these projects are budget is provided by the university: the necessary “bricks” for the construc- the rest comes from endowments, tion of a more democratic society. I donations, and grants. Over the years, certainly hope that the senator is cor- CIUS has pursued a vigorous and Canadian Institute of rect and that our considerable efforts to coherent fund-raising strategy based Ukrainian Studies “reform” Ukraine have had some effect. on developing a close personal rela- 4-30 Pembina Hall In academic matters, however, there tionship with Ukrainian educational University of Alberta is little doubt that CIUS has left a con- foundations and major and minor Edmonton, AB siderable imprint. In fact, it has helped donors. This was not an easy task for T6G 2H8 shape the emergence of post-commu- me, for I admit that even today I am a Telephone: (780) 492–2972 nist Ukrainian studies. In Lviv, our bit uncomfortable asking for money. FAX: (780) 492–4967 close relations with the Ivan Franko The response from the foundations and E-mail: [email protected] CIUS Web site: www.cius.ca and Ukrainian Catholic universities the community, however, has been out- was further reinforced by the estab- standing. We are privileged to be work- CIUS Newsletter lishment of the Jacyk Program for the ing in a field that enjoys such broad Reprints permitted with acknowledgement Study of Modern Ukrainian History support. It is the donors who make us ISSN 1485–7979 and Society, including sponsorship of feel that what we are doing is vital to Publication Mail Agreement No.