Russian -Ukrainian Harmonization

[Batukhan]

Harmonization of Russian and Ukrainian Textbooks: A New Beginning or a
Return to a Lamentable Past?
Kennan Institute
Event Summary

January 30, 2003

In a recent seminar at the Kennan Institute, Frank Sysyn, Director of the Peter Jacyk Centre for Ukrainian Historical Research, University of Alberta, and Sergei Zhuk, currently a Title VIII-Supported Research Scholar at the Kennan Institute, discussed the recently established commission on the harmonization Russian and Ukrainian textbooks. Sysyn explained the historical background to the harmonization movement, and noted that President Kuchma's creation of the joint Russian-Ukrainian harmonization commission along with other decisions stirred controversy in Ukraine. Zhuk provided background regarding the paradoxes of Soviet and Russian historiography and discussed the Russian view on harmonization.

Sysyn discussed the recent opposition to President Kuchma's establishment of the harmonization commission. He explained that in an open letter released to the public, the Ukrainian intelligentsia argued that the decision to have a joint commission came out during the so-called year of Ukraine in Russia, and that because it is obvious this was a politically motivated decree, it is not the appropriate basis for discussing textbooks. Opponents argued that the heads of the commission would be the vice premiers of the two countries, neither of whom were historians and therefore quite incapable of dealing with history textbooks.

Sysyn stated that he is not fundamentally against the idea of a
harmonization process, however he is concerned about who is carrying out the commission and when it is being done. He explained that the current Ukraine-Polish commission on harmonization has worked quite effectively. Historians and scholars discuss and debate various topics, and while there is not always agreement overall it seems to effectively be moving forward. Sysyn noted that the situation between Ukraine and Russia is very different. Russia has a government that has not fully accepted Ukrainian independence and Russian scholars, in contrast to Polish scholars, have only just begun to examine Ukrainian historical issues seriously. In addition, Ukraine is "economically weak and politically unstable, and it has a government whose authority is questionable to say the least."
Finally, Sysyn concluded, there are many unresolved questions within
Ukrainian society. He explained that most societies in Europe have
codified national myths, however, in Ukraine, there are varied and sometimes conflicting views of past, and therefore an internal Ukrainian dialogue is needed.

Zhuk discussed trends in Russian historiography and Russian textbooks.
He explained that the prevailing view of provincialism plagued early
attempts to revise history textbooks. Zhuk noted that the first, but highly unsuccessful, attempt to publish new textbooks for schools in Russia took place in 1988. Subsequent mass publications of various history textbooks created problems for the centralized state education system that had always followed one theoretical framework and one textbook. He continued by stating that textbooks on Ukrainian history have tried to incorporate details of the Ukrainian past, but many aspects of the Soviet legacy still exist in history textbooks.

According to Zhuk, theoretical and professional debates over
center-province relations have complicated the recent efforts to
harmonize Russian-Ukrainian textbooks. He concluded that the prevailing provincial view limits dialogue on the harmonization of history textbooks, and "the apparent theoretical and professional provincialism and isolation of the post-Soviet historians after the collapse of communism combined with the new conditions of nation-making will push them further in the direction of nationalism and unfortunately, cultural provincialism."

[Batukhan]

Jaga to kaima

It will be more difficult to have agreement between Ukrainian and Russian than between Poles and Ukrainians. At least Poles admit that Ukrainians are a separate nations whereas many Russians still believe that Ukrainians are just Russians. So, how even thing about harmonization of the school books if there are so many doubts to what extend both countries are separated and to what extend they have a common history.

MyKry
To: Jaga

I agree with your statement. Furthermore, I believe that any attempt at 'harmonization' is just another attempt by Russia to bring Ukraine closer under its sphere of influence...again. How many times, over the past several centuries, has Russia attempted to completely integrate the Ukrainian people with the Russian; and Ukrainian 'territory' with Russia? Whether it's by decree (e.g. Ems Ukaz--a prohibition of the Ukrainian language), unrelentless Russification, persecution, exile, or genocidal famine (where millions of Ukrainians died), the goals were always the same--the integration, or union of Ukraine with Russia by any means possible.
How can there by Russian-Ukrainian harmonization? In the text books or anywhere else. History shows that the Russians seemed to have a longstanding pathological hatred (and possibly fear) of any manifestation of national normalcy by Ukrainians. How many poets and writers were sentenceed to Siberia for writing in the Ukrainian language? In the 19th century they even proclaimed that the Ukrainian language had never existed and would never exist. I'm not even going to discuss the political and religious destruction of Ukraine and its people.

Whether we discuss Russian tsarist or communist regimes, medieval or current times, the results are always the same. Harmonization is just another name for integration that really just means complete domination--at every level including the history and the sole of Ukraine. Russia will neither acknowledge nor ever agree to Ukraine's version of history. In doing so, they would have to acknowledge the substantial differences between the two countries including thier language and culture.

[mishaaverko]

Pure bs. Poland historically promtes anti-Russian Ukrainian separatism for the purpose of fullfilling its own geostrategic pleasures. This goes back to the 15 hundreds and was foolishly attempted again during the Russian Civil War, when Warsaw tryed to secure a place for its puppet Petlura, who was willing to cede western Ukraine over to Poland in exchange for Polish support of himself as a head of a anti-Russian Ukrainian state.

Many Poles go out of their way to pretend that Russians and Ukrainians are as separate as English and Irish, when in actuality Russians and Ukrainians are more like the Scotts and English in that many Scotts like Ukrainians fall into two noticeably different categories consisting of those feeling kinship with their respective greater neighbor and those seeking independence.