Book Discussion: Ukraine under Lithuanian and Polish rule: Mykhailo Hrushevsky, "History of Ukraine-Rus’", Volumes 4 through 6

Co-sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, and the Centre for Polish-Lithuanian Studies, University of Aberdeen.

The book discussion series of the Peter Jacyk Centre for Ukrainian Historical Research and CIUS Press is organized by Yaroslav Hrytsak (Ukrainian Catholic University), Marko R. Stech (University of Alberta), and Frank E. Sysyn (University of Alberta).

The fall of the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia in 1340 marked the opening of what Mykhailo Hrushevsky saw as one of the darkest periods in Ukrainian history. The collapse of early Ukrainian statehood and the establishment of Lithuanian and Polish rule heralded a long period of foreign domination which Hrushevsky saw as forming the middle period of Ukrainian history. He believed this was a time of decline in the history of the Ukrainian people, which was only ended by the cultural and national revival at the end of the sixteenth century and the rise of Cossackdom. He nevertheless devoted three volumes and over 1,500 pages of his History of Ukraine-Rus’  to this “dark period” in a comprehensive examination of the economy, society, and culture of the Ukrainian lands. In fact, these volumes might be seen as one of his most important contributions to the study of Ukrainian history. Popular histories tend to concentrate on periods of glory and success; much less attention tends to be paid to periods of decline. Yet Hrushevsky saw the developments of this middle period as crucial to the understanding of what was to follow. Thus, both in his framing of this period in the Ukrainian national narrative and in his exhaustive exploration of sources and historical debates, Hrushevsky’s work remains a touchstone for all subsequent writing on late medieval and early modern Ukrainian history.

The Hrushevsky Translation Project  has invited leading experts on the period to examine Hrushevsky’s contribution and discuss its relevance for the study of Ukraine and its neighbors now that the English translation has made the History of Ukraine-Rus’  accessible to a wider audience. An earlier book discussion that dealt with the first three volumes and the Old Rus' period may be viewed on the CIUS website. 

Frank Sysyn will serve as moderator. Discussants will include: Robert Frost (University of Aberdeen); Svitlana Pankova (Hrushevsky Museum, Kyiv); Henadz Sahanovich (University of Warsaw); Myron Kapral (Institute of Archaeography, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine).

The session will be held in English, Ukrainian, and Belarusian. Simultaneous translation will be available in English and Ukrainian.

For a limited time volumes 4, 5, and 6 of Mykhailo Hrushevsky’s History of Ukraine-Rus' will be available at a 25% discount on the CIUS Press website.