The conference was initiated by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, the Ukrainian Institute, and the Ukrainian Catholic University in cooperation with the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies and with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, the Mnozhyna Foundation, and the city of Lviv. It is planned to be held annually and to become a permanent platform for international academic cooperation, the Ukrainian Institute’s communications team reports.
“Knowledge about Ukraine is part of our national security. Ukrainian studies help the world gain a deeper understanding of our history, culture, and struggle for freedom,” said Tetyana Berezhna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture.
This year’s conference is built around the idea of a new Ukrainian studies paradigm—grounded in networking, communication, and an awareness of the multilingualism and cultural diversity of contemporary Ukraine.
The academic program includes more than 55 panel sessions, research labs, roundtables, presentations of books, research centers, projects and foundations, as well as two exhibitions. Program tracks include the development of Ukrainian studies worldwide, Crimean Tatar studies, teaching the Ukrainian language, transnational Ukrainian networks, and many others.
Conference participants represent Australia, Austria, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Colombia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Poland, Slovakia, the United States, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, the Czech Republic, Chile, Switzerland, and Sweden.