Director’s Message

Welcome to the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, an internationally recognized leader of Ukrainian studies outside of Ukraine and a research institute housed in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.

 

The arrival of 2022 has brought new developments in the world and into the life of our institute and its teams. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to unravel, the now-familiar restrictions to our face-to-face interactions and operations on the ground persist, and the new crisis in global security threatens the stability of world peace.

 

While we at CIUS continue to work on our planned and ongoing research and scholarly initiatives and projects, the global community is increasingly more concerned about Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and deteriorating relations with Russia in the context of the escalating geopolitical security crisis. With the Russian government having amassed an unprecedented military presence on Ukraine’s borders, threatening Ukrainian territorial integrity, so many of my colleagues at the institute have stepped up. As specialists in various spheres of Ukrainian studies, in the public domain they have offered analytical and long-term research–informed perspectives on Ukraine, its place in the growing conflict in Europe, Ukrainian-Russian relations, Ukrainian-Canadian relations, and geopolitical tensions in the region of NATO’s eastern flank.

 

In response to this situation, CIUS’s Contemporary Ukraine Studies Program has increased its engagement with specialists in global and Ukrainian affairs and continues to host world-class experts in its lecture series. The Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine is focusing on the preparation of a special section containing concise accounts of key events in the history of Ukraine, that will also offer supplementary context to the unfolding geopolitical crisis. I am also excited to be the first to tell you that CIUS will soon be advertising a new year-long distinguished visiting fellowship in political science and Ukraine.  

 

Moreover, to generate and disseminate additional expert knowledge about contemporary Ukraine, the institute is revitalizing its in-house analytical media platform, the Forum for Ukrainian Studies. Known to very many of you, the Forum has consistently focused on analytical engagement with Ukraine, the internal Ukrainian political landscape, and international affairs bearing on Ukraine and Ukrainians around the world. Its global network of some 70 experts contributes well-received analysis to the international debate and has provided critical reflections on the current crisis. 

 

As an institute with the reputation of a leader in the field of Ukrainian studies outside of Ukraine, CIUS is adjusting to evolving geopolitical demands in a number of other ways, as well. Most recently, to better connect with our supporters around the world and to give justice to the institute’s multiple high-profile scholarly operations in all CIUS locations, we launched a new and fully revamped annual magazine, the CIUS Review / «KIУС — Огляд», taking the place of the  CIUS Newsletter / «Бюлетень KIУСу». The CIUS Review showcases the institute’s activities in the last academic year (2020/21), highlights its accomplishments in a fresh, redesigned format, and emphasizes the need for stronger connections between Ukraine, Ukrainian studies, and the world. If you are signed up as a subscriber, you probably have already received this publication in the mail.

 

Many novel and exciting developments are taking place across CIUS’s other programs and projects. Ongoing announcements on our websites and Facebook pages offer an opportunity to appreciate the breadth and scope of the institute’s operations. In these difficult times, as we enhance our scholarly activities to respond effectively to the concerns of the global community and broader society, CIUS remains committed to excellence in research, scholarship, and community engagement.

 

Indeed, as democratic forces and Ukrainian communities around the world unite behind Ukraine at this critical time, I am acutely aware of the debt of gratitude the institute owes to our patrons, donors, sponsors, and friends. I express my deepest appreciation to them, whose generosity enables CIUS to function and maintain its high international profile. On behalf of CIUS I sincerely invite all of you to support our current and ongoing initiatives that focus on Ukraine and Ukrainian studies—by attending our organized events, sharing information about upcoming lectures with others, contributing to our publications, and supporting our institute through donations.

Together we can ensure the fulfillment of CIUS’s mandate: to produce, preserve, and disseminate expert knowledge about Ukraine and Ukrainians in Canada and worldwide.