A new step in cooperation and solidarity: Notre Dame to launch Ukrainian Studies Hub
In spring 2025, the University of Notre Dame in the USA will launch the Ukrainian Studies Hub (USH) — a research and coordinating center for Ukraine-related work at the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, which is part of the Keough School of Global Affairs. This joint project between Notre Dame and Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) unites scholars to explore ethics and religion amid global challenges and Ukraine’s role. The Nanovic Institute will coordinate the work of the Ukrainian Studies Hub and take a leading role in developing academic projects about Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Studies Hub will start its work with a conference dedicated to the ethics and politics of hope in Ukraine today. The conference, which is titled “Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine,” will be held on 6-8 March, 2025, with the participation of scholars of both universities.
Cooperation between the University of Notre Dame and Ukrainian Catholic University began twenty years ago. Today, a deep partnership has been established between the two institutions. With the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Notre Dame began a large-scale program of cooperation with UCU, “Standing in Solidarity”. At the end of August 2024, Fr. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame’s 17th president, traveled to Ukraine and UCU on a visit of solidarity and support.
The next step in this collaborative program is the creation of the Ukrainian Studies Hub which, on the one hand, is a logical continuation of many years of cooperation and, on the other, is a response to the war in Ukraine and events happening in the world—and especially in Europe.
The initiative to create a Ukrainian Studies Hub was conceptualized by Clemens Sedmak, Director of the Nanovic Institute.
“The opening of the Ukrainian Studies Hub, as a logical step in the context of the global cooperation of scholars of Nanovic and UCU, is a project about the influence of Catholic universities, about the politics of memory, and about Europe and Ukraine’s role. For Ukraine offers the world a multifaceted lens through which we can research the complicated connection among historical experience, political processes, regional divisions, and modern challenges, and all this in the context of the establishment of democracy,” said Clemens Sedmak.
In 2023, Taras Dobko, Rector of Ukrainian Catholic University, described Ukraine as “a big lab for social transformation, innovation, and experimentation.” This is a lab that no one would ever intentionally create, given the immense suffering Ukraine is enduring. Yet it has emerged through Ukraine’s fight for freedom and democracy on behalf of the entire world. The experiences within this “lab” offer valuable lessons to scholars and practitioners across disciplines, with the potential to yield lasting benefits for humanity.
Volodymyr Turchynovskyy, Dean of UCU’s Social Sciences Faculty, emphasized: “The Ukrainian Studies Hub is a new level of cooperation, to think not only about projects but about permanent institutions of exchange between the two universities, which would support questions about Ukraine and Ukrainian studies on the international agenda. And so, we expect that a powerful academic environment of scholars will start to form around the hub.”
Volodymyr Turchynovskyy, Dean of UCU’s Social Sciences Faculty
The Ukrainian Studies Hub will start its work in spring 2025. Among its upcoming plans are the organization of joint conferences, an annual competition of research projects, internships for Ukrainian scholars at the University of Notre Dame, and the publication of a series of books. The hub will support and encourage new initiatives at Notre Dame regarding research in questions of ethics and democracy.
In addition, as part of its work, the USH will present student projects and educational initiatives; it will hold an annual summer school and training in leadership.
“The educational goal of the Ukrainian Studies Hub is the creation of programs which will immerse Notre Dame’s students in the Ukrainian context and unite Ukrainian and American students. With this in mind, the Nanovic Institute is working to create an ongoing study program at Notre Dame for UCU students. At the end of the war, the Ukrainian Studies Hub will also encourage Notre Dame students to study in Ukraine, at UCU in particular, in this way fostering long-lasting relations and educational experience, independent of the context of war,” said Clemens Sedmak.
Sheptytsky Center, UCU
Inaugural conference: ‘Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine’
In May of this year, Pope Francis declared 2025 as the Jubilee Year of Hope. And so, the first event, launching the activities of the Ukrainian Studies Hub, will be an inaugural international, interdisciplinary conference dedicated to the ethics and politics of hope in Ukraine today, “Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine.” The conference will be held at the University of Notre Dame from 6-8 March, 2025. Scholars of both universities will take part in it. The event will also be a summary of two years of research, a significant part of which happened in partnership with researchers from UCU around the theme of Ukraine, its global dimensions and significance.
Conference participants will discuss how hope has formed Ukraine since it achieved independence in 1991: How have expectations for peace and justice continued to support Ukrainian society since the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine in spring 2014 and after the full-scale invasion in February 2022? What connection exists between resilience and hope, between hope and renewal, and also between hope, peace, and justice in the context of Ukraine? What is religion’s contribution to the development of hope in Ukraine? And what is the role of Ukrainian universities and the Ukrainian intellectual tradition in fostering hope?
Window of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies
The importance of Ukrainian studies at foreign universities
“A center for Ukrainian studies is a way to present the question of Ukraine for global discourse and to respond to the question of its social-political reality which, not least, events in Europe are forming, in particular Russia’s war against Ukraine. Here we recall the words of American historian Timothy Snyder, who astutely observed ‘Ukraine tends to exemplify the major trends in European and world history.’ I think that many people in leading academic circles throughout the world already understand this and are ready to focus on the theme of Ukraine as a case study, and as a laboratory of future democracy, global security, and development. So the fact that the Nanovic Institute, which concentrates on Europe, is focusing on Ukrainian studies, forming a new discourse, new research priorities and new academic networks, is in itself an important sign,” stated Volodymyr Turchynovskyy.
In his opinion, it is important that the world not stop thinking about Ukraine: “Similar centers are not created every day at American universities. We want to believe that the Ukrainian Studies Hub is also an attempt to set a certain trend and dynamic in American academia and root a tradition of interdisciplinary partnership together with Ukrainian researchers, an approach to studying Ukraine.”
Dean Turchynovskyy also notes that we do not have the right to remain silent at a time when Russia is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in propagating the “Russian World” (Russkiy mir) idea, which paralyzes the world with the toxic web of Russia’s “great culture.” With this goal, Russians for decades have conducted conferences, published books and articles, and spoken at world forums.
“We should not follow their example and spread untruths about ourselves, or about Russia, or create myths. But it is absolutely necessary that the Ukrainian agenda enters the cultural, diplomatic, and educational international space. In order to do this with seriousness and confidence, it’s necessary to build a space of academic cooperation which will be created through permanent partnerships, common book projects, and lasting research. Without a dependable academic foundation, we will not have Ukraine’s final victory. We will live under the constant threat that everything can go back, and war will again replace a temporary peace. So, the creation of a Ukrainian Studies Hub is a step which has the correct vision and dynamic. And the fact that Notre Dame, among the 20 leading American universities, is taking this step gives us very good initial conditions and a hope for great results,” said Volodymyr Turchynovskyy.
Rory Finnin (Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge) delivering his lecture on the life and poetry of Taras Shevchenko.
Poets and translators: Grace Mahoney, Ali Kinsella and Halyna Kruk at the “Revolutions of Hope” Conference. Ms. Mahoney recently translated the book of poetry “Field of Foundlings” by UCU Professor of Cultural Studies Iryna Starovoyt.
