Teaching Ukrainian History in Canada

Abstract

Oksana Dudko shares her experience of teaching Ukrainian history in Canadian universities during Russia's aggression. She notes the fundamental difference between students in Ukraine and students in Canada, many of whom take a class in Ukrainian history having little prior knowledge about the country. So, whereas in Ukraine, critically thinking university lecturers concentrate on deconstructing the simplified national historical narrative that has been interiorized by students in secondary school, in Canadian classrooms professors have to offer a coherent historical narrative that includes advanced methodological considerations. Another challenge is the dearth of reading materials. The available collections of primary sources translated into English are Russo-centric both in terms of document selection and the translation of key terms and concepts. Dudko stresses the importance of contemporary artistic sources, including visual ones, for expanding students' understanding of Ukraine. She also emphasizes the advantage of Ukraine's stateless status throughout much of its history and its fluctuating territorial boundaries for teaching modern postnational and post-state history, unconstrained by the traditional narrative of the nation-state.