Blog

"Stepping in a River Twice: Ukrainian Poetry in Translation"

by Alex Braslavsky

Alex BraslavskyWhile taking Professor Dibrova’s Ukrainian for Reading Knowledge course, I have had the fortune of engaging with the Ukrainian poetic tradition through small side projects. My first opportunity came within the first week, when we were asked to share our favorite poems. My taste in poetry is always changing, so I found myself reading The Frontier: 28 Contemporary Ukrainian Poets to prepare for class. Appearing in English translation by Anatoly Kudryavitsky, the poems were riveting. I was struck in particular by the poetry of Anna Chromova and Katrina Haddad.... Read more about "Stepping in a River Twice: Ukrainian Poetry in Translation"

"Searching for Belonging: How Studying at HUSI Has Helped Me Connect with My Roots"

by Alina Bykova

Alina BykovaAlthough I was born in Ukraine, I spent most of my life identifying as Russian. This was not meant to be a political statement by any means, but it started to feel uncomfortably political in 2013 when the Maidan protests started. Over the last seven years, this tension has led me to re-examine my identity as a Russian-Ukrainian, and it brought me to the Ukrainian for Reading Knowledge course at HUSI.... Read more about "Searching for Belonging: How Studying at HUSI Has Helped Me Connect with My Roots"

"Autonomy for Crimea"

by Emily Channell-Justice

Emily Channell-JusticeA few weeks ago, I interviewed Rustem Umerov, a Ukrainian MP and Crimean Tatar leader, about the situation of displaced people in Ukraine and the government’s efforts toward reintegration and reconciliation of currently occupied territories. One of the topics we discussed at some length was Crimean Tatars’ claim to be recognized as an indigenous population whose territory is the Crimean peninsula. This recognition—which would require changes to the Ukrainian constitution—would allow the Crimean Tatars to claim human rights violation based on international protections of indigenous populations.... Read more about "Autonomy for Crimea"

Guest Post: "An Italian View of Panteleimon Kulish "

by Tommaso Di Maria

Tommaso Di MariaNote: This is a guest post from Tommaso Di Maria, an Italian student at the University of Naples "L'Orientale" with a strong interest in Ukraine. After reaching out to HURI and attending a few of our HUSI Public Lectures, Tommaso wanted to share an excerpt from an Italian source on Ukrainian literature. He offers here his own translation of the chapter on Panteleimon Kulish from Oxana Pachlovska's Civiltà letteraria ucraina. We hope he will soon join us as a student at HUSI!... Read more about Guest Post: "An Italian View of Panteleimon Kulish "

"Borscht: A Family Tradition"

by Oleksandr Zavalov, HUSI 2020

Oleksandr Zavalov

Borscht is the core foundation of culinary heritage and family dining in Ukraine. After participating in the HUSI lecture on Friday, June 26, Ukrainian Culinary Heritage: Bread, Borscht and Beyond with Marianna Dushar, the Head of the Ukrainian Culinary Heritage Project "Seeds and Roots" and a member of the "Club of Galician Cuisine," I was inspired to share my family’s culinary heritage.... Read more about "Borscht: A Family Tradition"

"Material and Immaterial Revolutions: Reflections on Kateryna Ruban’s Talk on Ukraine’s Decommunization Laws and 'Soviet Exorcism'"

by Sandra Joy Russell

Sandra Joy RussellHow have decommunization efforts participated in a larger Ukrainian history? In what ways have they shaped Ukraine today, and to what extent have they become part of its memory politics?

These were some of the questions posed by Kateryna Ruban in her talk, “Ukrainian Decommunization from Above and Below: Lenin’s Heads, Ideological Exorcism, and Demons of the Soviet Past,” on Wednesday, July 11th, 2018.... Read more about "Material and Immaterial Revolutions: Reflections on Kateryna Ruban’s Talk on Ukraine’s Decommunization Laws and 'Soviet Exorcism'"

"Rebels of 18th Century Venice: Casanova and Aristocratic Daughters Consorting in Convents" by Ozlem Eren

Ozlem ErenHUSI student Özlem Eren examines Casanova's legacy in light of her recent visit to the Museum of Fine Art's exhibition on 18th century life in Europe.

Gondolas glide along the canal with an air of excitement; it's carnival time in Venice! Handsome young men in masks approach the nunnery and pick up young women dressed in delicate silk gowns under the watchful gaze of the mother superior.... Read more about "Rebels of 18th Century Venice: Casanova and Aristocratic Daughters Consorting in Convents" by Ozlem Eren

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