Leading Ukrainian historian awarded Kolasky Fellowship (08/23/98)

Leading Ukrainian historian awarded Kolasky Fellowship

EDMONTON - Dr. Vladyslav Verstiuk, a leading historian of the Ukrainian revolution (1917-1920), was this year's Ukraine Exchange Fellow at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), University of Alberta. His research visit was made possible by a grant from the John Kolasky Ukraine Exchange Fellowship Endowment Fund at CIUS.

Dr. Verstiuk directs a research program on the revolution at the Institute of Ukrainian History, National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, and teaches at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He is the author of many significant historical studies, including a monograph on the peasant agrarian revolts led by anarchist Nestor Makhno during the revolution, which won the National Academy of Sciences Hrushevsky Award. He recently compiled and edited two volumes of documents on the Ukrainian Central Rada, which was Ukraine's Parliament in 1917-1918. Dr. Verstiuk is a regular contributor to Ukrainian newspapers and runs a popular radio program on Ukrainian history.

His three-month visit to CIUS (from January through March 1998) coincided with the 80th anniversary of the Ukrainian revolution. Dr. Verstiuk was greatly in demand as a speaker, appearing before Ukrainian community audiences in Edmonton and Toronto, and delivering scholarly papers on the Central Rada at the Harriman Institute of Columbia University (New York), the University of Toronto and Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

He gave a paper on "Conceptual Foundations for the Study of the History of the Ukrainian Revolution" as part of the CIUS seminar series in March. An article by Dr. Verstiuk based on his seminar presentation, with comments and responses from other scholars, will appear in the Journal of Ukrainian Studies, published semiannually by CIUS.

During his time at the CIUS, Dr. Verstiuk familiarized himself with historical publications not easily available in Ukraine, especially memoirs of Ukrainians who participated in the revolution, as well as scholarly works of Ukrainian historians in the diaspora. He also contributed to Ukrainian scholarship and community life in Canada through informal discussions and contacts, notably via the Ukrainian program broadcast by radio station CKER in Edmonton.

Since its inception in 1990, the Ukraine Exchange Fellowship Endowment Fund has benefited many distinguished senior and promising junior scholars and professionals in Ukraine, ranging from economists to a computer scientist, an academic publisher and a linguist.

The fund was established by the late John Kolasky, a writer and educator, with the assistance of Peter and Pauline Kindrachuk and William and Justine Fedeyko. Earlier this year the fund was renamed to honor Mr. Kolasky's memory.

The 1998-1999 fellowship has been awarded to Volodymyr Kulyk, a young political scientist from Kyiv. During his three-month stay in Canada, Mr. Kulyk will conduct research in libraries and archives in Edmonton and Winnipeg.

| Home Page |