Михайло Грушевський і українська мова: у контексті творення політичної нації

Abstract

The article presents the author’s reflection on the contribution of Mykhailo Hrushevsky (1866–1934), the outstanding Ukrainian scientist-historian, academician of the All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (1923), public and political figure, in substantiating the foundations of the independent state existence of Ukrainians within the context of the struggle for carrying out their education in mother-tongue and the national education system development in future. The chronological limits of the study are the first decades of the XX century. The role of socio-political and journalistic activities of M. Hrushevsky in following activities has been highlighted: upholding and protecting the interests and cultural needs of the Ukrainian people, establishing the status of the Ukrainian language as the only alternative for education of Ukrainians, as a self-sufficient language of a particular Slavic people in the territory between two empires. All of the above still has historically instructive and politically reasoned meaning. It has been proven that purposeful, nationally oriented public educational activities of the scientist, firstly, are an example of an enduring personal contribution to the creation of our state, especially in the circumstances on the eve of the Ukrainian revolution. Secondly, the ideas he substantiated for the development of national education of Ukrainians laid the foundations for the philosophy of national education for the future. The scientific appeal has updated two journalistic articles by M. Hrushevsky – «The Stumbling Stone» and «The Cornerstone» (both 1916) – contextually significant for deepening the modern understanding of what the scientist has done to increase the ethnic consciousness of Ukrainians, especially Ukrainian peasants as bearers of traditions and language, development among compatriots of a common understanding of the national past, perception of the native language as an attribute of independent life.