The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is chipping away at the European post-war order and poses a new challenge to Europe, the lines of conflict match those of the war of 2014. The many victims and the devastating damage that characterise this war call for an academic investigation into the circumstances that must start now. In addition to the dreadful human suffering and the destruction of housing, infrastructure and the economy, the Russian invasion is associated with enormous risks and challenges to society. The biggest challenge is the extreme polarisation and emotionalisation of public and academic discourse, which threatens to undermine the struggle for democratisation and freedom - the "European values" that Ukrainians are fighting for. By addressing the complex entanglements with the former imperial powers in East and West, as well as the mechanisms of escalation, the project hopes to shed light on the frequently implied Ukrainian subjectivity.
From a methodological and institutional perspective, the research project aims to pluralise, network and thus consolidate Ukrainian studies in Germany and abroad. The critical perspectives on the interplay between nation building and Ukrainian studies and the attempts to "discipline" and instrumentalise them, especially in times of war, are of particular interest to the project participants.
UNDIPUS was conceived by Junior Professor Dr Roman Dubasevych and is led by Dr Olga Plakhotnik. A series of academic events - such as workshops, conferences and exhibitions - as well as joint publications will bundle the most important research initiatives on Ukraine in Germany and make Ukrainian studies visible and audible as a “small discipline” at home and abroad - both as an independent discipline and as part of Eastern European studies. In this way, the UNDIPUS Initiative aims to meet the urgent need for expertise on Ukraine in Germany and thus contribute to more effective peace work.
Further information
Project website
Contacts at the University of Greifswald
JProf. Dr. Roman Dubasevych
Department of Slavonic Studies
Chair of Ukrainian Cultural Studies
Ernst-Lohmeyer-Platz 3, Room E.62
Tel.: +49 3834 420 3233
roman.dubasevychuni-greifswaldde
Dr Olga Plakhotnik
Department of Slavonic Studies
Chair of Ukrainian Cultural Studies
Ernst-Lohmeyer-Platz 3, Room E. 46
olga.plakhotnikuni-greifswaldde
Dr. Martin Henzelmann
Department of Slavonic Studies
Chair of Ukrainian Cultural Studies
Ernst-Lohmeyer-Platz 3, Room E.49
martin.henzelmannuni-greifswaldde