Ukrainian Studies Direction in the Cultural and Scholarly Activity of the Ukrainian Military Emigration of the 20th-Century Interwar Period

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate the specifics of Ukrainian studies in the cultural and scholarly activities of the Ukrainian military emigration. Based on its archival documents and research publications, such issues are covered: the origins of cultural and scholarly activities of the Ukrainian military emigration in view of its internment in 1920–1921; the place of the Ukrainian studies direction in the activities of scientific military societies and respective museum departments; Ukrainian studies aspects concerned by the representatives of the Ukrainian military emigration in their scientific works.The research process provided such results: the cultural and scientific activities of the Ukrainian military emigration stemmed from the work of the Military Section of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Mission and cultural and educational commissions, which provided camp soldiers with lectures on Ukrainian studies, literary and theatrical arts, and library work. The activities of scientific military societies and museum departments presented the direction of Ukrainian studies in the collection of archival documents and materials on the National Liberation War of 1917–1921, publication of thematic editions, lectures on Ukrainian history, and participation in ceremonial and memorial events, which were conducted in the academic environment of the Ukrainian emigration. In their research works, representatives of the Ukrainian military emigration touched upon aspects of the history of Ukraine during the National Liberation War of 1917–1921, the Cossacks, Ukrainian ethnography and geography. They managed to have accumulated significant intellectual outcome in the field of Ukrainian studies, which is still relevant today. The achievement of the author of the study is a synthesis created on the basis of a comprehensive study of sources and historiography, which consider the problem of Ukrainian military emigration in the interwar period in the light of Ukrainian studies, which is quite unusual for the respective field of domestic historiography. This made it possible to obtain new conclusions.