Towards an Intellectual History of Ukraine : An Anthology of Ukrainian Thought From 1710 to 1995

Together with a long introductory essay, the editors of this volume have provided a collection of major documents dating from 1710 to 1995. The texts, many of them translated for the first time and some perhaps unfamiliar to Ukrainian readers, explore issues that intellectual history has traditionally set out to examine and explain. They touch on religious, philosophical, aesthetic, ethical, sociological, historical, and political ideas, and thereby illuminate significant attitudes, values, ideological commitments, and systems of thought that have crystallized at central moments in the development of Ukraine. Leading Ukrainian writers, scholars, intellectuals, political figures, and statesman present their views on Ukrainian history, especially its relation to Russia, but also discuss their society, literature, and culture, as well as the slow but dramatic formation and growth of national identity. These texts best reflect the transformation of Ukraine, and the obstacles to such a transformation, into a modern nation, which in 1991 declared its independence. They serve, therefore, as a guide to a complex period of hundreds of years, which, up to now, was too often considered only as a part of Russian history. In this context, the anthology contributes to an understanding of the past few centuries from a post-colonial perspective. Contents 5 Preface 9 Introduction 13 1. The Bendery Constitution (abridgment 65 2. Sermon on Royal Authority and Honour (excerpt) 77 3. A Talk between Great Russia and Little Russia (excerpt) 81 4. A Submission to the Legislative Commission (excerpt) 83 5. The Serpent's Flood (excerpt) 86 6. Istoriia Rusov (excerpts) 94 7. Letters (excerpts) 100 8. The Books of the Genesis of the Ukrainian People (excerpt) 106 9. Preface to an Unpublished Edition of Kobzar 113 10. Epilogue to The Black Council 117 11. Two Russian Nationalities (excerpts) 134 12. A Letter to the Editor of Kolokol 147 13. The Science of the Human Spirit (excerpts) 158 14. The Lost Epoch (abridgment) 164 15. Polish Policy towards Rus' (excerpts) 174 16. The Problem of Denationalization (excerpt) 179 17. Draft Constitution for the Ukrainian Society in the Free Union 183 18. Ukrainianism versus Russianism (excerpts) 196 19. Letters from Dnieper Ukraine (excerpt) 200 20. Beyond the Limits of the Possible (abridgment) 205 21. An Independent Ukraine (excerpt) 213 22. On the Issue of a Distinctive Ukrainian Culture (excerpt) 228 23. A Free Ukraine 239 24. Speech on National Minorities (excerpt) 251 25. The Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian Central Rada 255 26. The Rebirth of a Nation (excerpt) 260 27. Letters to My Brother Farmers (excerpts) 263 28. Nationalism (excerpt) 272 29. Pamphlets (excerpts) 281 30. Speeches (excerpts) 290 31. Ukrainian Reality and the Task of Women (excerpt) 296 32. Dontsov's Nationalism (excerpts) 299 33. The Manifesto of the OUN 303 34. Declaration of the Ukrainian National Council 307 35. Our Teachings about the National State 309 36. Theses on the Three-Hundredth Anniversary of the Reunion of Ukraine with Russia (excerpt) 315 37. Little-Russianism 328 38. Internationalism or Russification? (excerpt) 342 39. Program of the Popular Movement for the Restructuring of Ukraine (excerpts) 353 40. Constitution of Ukraine: Draft (excerpts) 375 41. The Manifesto of the Ukrainian Intelligentsia 406 42. Ukraine without Ukrainians? 412 Dates in Ukrainian History 417 Sources and Permissions 419 Index of Names and Places 423 This volume presents a collection of major Ukrainian documents dating from 1710 to 1995, with an informative introductory essay by volume editors Ralph Lindheim and George S.N. Luckyj. The texts, many of them translated for the first time and some perhaps unfamiliar even to Ukrainian readers, explore issues that intellectual history has traditionally set out to examine and explain. They touch on religious, philosophical, aesthetic, ethical, sociological, historical, and political ideas, and thereby illuminate significant attitudes, values, ideological commitments, and systems of thought that have crystallized at central moments in the development of Ukraine. Leading Ukrainian writers, scholars, intellectuals, political figures, and statesmen present their views on Ukrainian history, especially as it pertains to relations with Russia, and also discuss their society, literature, culture, and the slow but dramatic formation and growth of a national identity The texts gathered here reflect the transformation of Ukraine, in the face of formidable obstacles, into the modern nation that declared its independence in 1991. They serve, therefore, as a guide to a complex period of several hundred years, which, until now, has too often been considered only as a part of Russian history