Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies

It’s here: a new issue of CIUS’s peer-reviewed journal, EWJUS! Guest-edited by Tanya Richardson and Darya Tsymbalyuk, this issue marks Part 1 of a two-part special focus, "Beyond Anthropocentrism in Ukrainian Studies: Proposals from the Environmental Humanities."

As the first mainstream Ukrainian studies journal issue of its kind, it brings innovative ecological perspectives to Ukraine’s past, present, and future.

Inside Part 1, you’ll find an analysis of environmental motifs in Ukrainian anti-war songs written in response to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, a transhistorical exploration of the cultural legacy of the Ukrainian steppe in the context of the current war, a proposal to re-evaluate traditional understandings of identity by embracing the idea of becoming "local," an ecofeminist reading of the legacy of ethnographer Kateryna Hrushevs'ka, and a robust book review section featuring an essay on the evolution of Ukrainian historiography in North America.

Explore. Read. Share: https://ewjus.com/index.php/ewjus

Following World War II, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians became "Displaced Persons" (DPs), unable or unwilling to return to their homes under Soviet rule. Living in designated camps across Europe, they built schools, preserved their culture, and eventually settled in countries around the world.

Today, history is painfully repeating itself. Russia's full-scale war of aggression has forced millions of Ukrainians from their homes once again, sparking the largest displacement crisis in Europe since the post-World War II era.

But just like the DP generation of eighty years ago, today's displaced Ukrainians carry a fierce resilience, preserving their identity, supporting their homeland from afar, and waiting for the day they can safely return.

On World Refugee Day (June 20), we remember that behind every statistic is a human story of loss, strength, and hope.

Read more about the experiences of displaced persons in the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine: ow.ly/Ailc50Zeu8I

To fully understand the tragedy of the Holodomor, we must also understand the systematic erasure that accompanied it.

In module 9 of our free, fully-online Coursera course 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦, module author Taras Koznarsky examines the assault on Ukrainian culture.

In the 1920s, Ukraine saw a renaissance in education, urban life, graphic design, and cinema after generations of imperial suppression. Koznarsky details how the Stalinist regime dismantled these achievements by targeting the nation's cultural and intellectual elites.

Featuring 17 concise videos, curated readings, and assignments, this module offers a vital look at the intersection of cultural suppression and state-sponsored violence.

Expand your historical perspective. Register here and start your learning journey today: coursera.org/learn/holodomor

Highlighting the engaging work of this year's Virtual DUSS Scholars: Yurii Puholovok, PhD, is a prominent archaeologist, ceramologist, and the author of over 150 scientific works. His extensive field research and 12 monographs explore the architecture and pottery of early Slavic populations, preserving invaluable historical heritage. His 2026 research project explores childhood, leisure, and everyday experience in 17th & 18th century Poltava through material culture.

The University of Alberta Disrupted Ukrainian Scholars & Students (DUSS) Initiative supports academics affected by the ongoing war. Through virtual residencies and collaboration with University of Alberta mentors, we are proud to help keep these essential research conversations moving forward.

DUSS UAlberta is a partnership of CIUS, the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, the Kule Folklore Centre at the U of A, the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies, the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies and the History, Classics, and Religion Department.

Learn more about DUSS's work since 2022, as well as support future scholarship: ow.ly/icnQ50Z2nqx

We are pleased to announce another speaker for the Translating Ukraine Summer Institute!

Vitaly Chernetsky is a Professor at the University of Kansas. A native of Odesa, Ukraine, Professor Chernetsky completed his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania.

Prior to coming to the University of Kansas, he taught at Columbia University and at Miami University in Ohio. His research focuses on modern and contemporary cultures (literature, film, popular culture) of Ukraine, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, considered in a broader comparative/cross-regional and interdisciplinary contexts. He has also been researching globalization and its cultural aspects, postmodernism/postmodernity, Modernism/modernity, postcolonial theory & writing, questions of identity & community, diasporic cultures, nationalism & ethnicity, and broader issues in literary & cultural theory, cultural studies, film studies, feminist theory, gender and q***r studies, and translation studies.

Chernetsky is the author of the book 𝘔𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴: 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (2007), of five edited or co-edited volumes, and numerous articles and reviews. A book in Ukrainian, 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴: 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭, is forthcoming. His published translations from Ukrainian and Russian into English include two novels, two poetry collections, and numerous shorter literary works, as well as scholarly articles and historical documents.

Professor Chernetsky is a past president of the American Association for Ukrainian Studies (2009-2018) and the current President of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in the US.

Learn more about TUSI, taking place in Wrocław, Poland, from 6-17 July 2026: translatingukraine.org/summer-institute
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TUSI is organized jointly by the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta’s Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, the Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University, the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, DUSS UAlberta, The Harriman Institute at Columbia University, Cambridge Ukrainian Studies, the Yale Ukrainian Program, Kolegium Europy Wschodniej, New Eastern Europe, and the Ossolineum / ZNiO, with support from Translatorium, the Shevchenko Scientific Society, USA, Razom for Ukraine, the UNWLA - Ukrainian National Women's League of America, Inc., Inc., and the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre - MacEwan University.

There continues to be an extraordinary evolution of Ukrainian civil society: Everyday citizens and organizations have become vital "co-pilots" in the country's wartime resistance. This was the focus of a recent lecture at the University of Alberta from Ukraine's former ambassador to Canada, Andriy Shevchenko.

Shevchenko detailed how civilian professionals have rapidly pivoted their skills into defense assets, turning tech developers into drone innovators who now drive roughly 80% of successful frontline hits, and morphing human rights defenders into critical war crime documentarians. Backed by a powerful global diaspora that has evolved from simple channels of sympathy into strategic funding partners, this grassroots agility is reshaping the war.

Ultimately, Shevchenko urges the international community to stop viewing Ukraine through the lens of victimhood and instead recognize it as a major global provider of security innovation.

Read more about the hidden power of Ukraine’s civil society, as well as other instances of CIUS in the news: ualberta.ca/en/canadian-institute-of-ukrainian-studies/about/media.html

"𝘓𝘎𝘉𝘛𝘘𝘐+ 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘢𝘳, 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘢. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥."

In honour of Pride Month and our ongoing mission to champion emerging Ukrainian Studies scholarship, we are pleased to spotlight the work of Mariia Mariya Burtseva, a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Alberta.

Her article explores the intersections of q***r identity, wartime visibility, and anti-imperial resistance both within Ukraine and across the diaspora.

Read the full feature here: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/canadian-institute-of-ukrainian-studies/news-and-events/news-at-the-cius/2026/an-emerging-field-lgbtqi-ukrainian.html

Image credit: Landon Nesbitt

Placing the human tragedies of state-engineered starvation into a broader, global context, 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯, 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦, 𝘒𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘬𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 is a must-read.

Edited by prominent historians Andrea Graziosi and CIUS's Frank Sysyn, this collection of essays brings together leading international specialists to examine the chilling commonalities and distinct differences between the massive, man-made famines of the twentieth century, including the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, the pan-Soviet famine of 1931–1933, and China’s Great Leap Forward famine of 1959–1961.

By using newly accessible archives, the authors show how centralized planning mechanisms and totalitarian regimes weaponized food to devastate entire populations.

Expand your understanding of global history and genocide studies by grabbing a paperback copy from CIUS Press: ciuspress.com/product/communism-and-hunger