Polish-Ukrainian cooperation at the Faculty of History of UG

The Faculty of History of the University of Gdańsk hosted prof. dr hab. Wiktor Horobec from the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv and the laureate of the 2020 Ivan Vyhovsky Prize.

Prof. dr. hab. Viktor Horobec is an internationally renowned and experienced researcher-historian and educator. He is a laureate of the Ivan Vyhovsky Prize, awarded since 2014, which honours the merits of Ukrainian citizens in the development of science, culture and public life, in the formation and development of civil society in Ukraine and the building of a democratic Ukraine - directed towards Europe, taking into account the best traditions of the former Republic of Poland and the historical, contemporary and future ties of Ukraine with Poland and Europe.

The aim of prof. Wiktor Horobec's academic internship at the University of Gdańsk was the realisation of the project 'Cossack' Ukraine versus the 'Noble' Republic of Poland. Influence of the Republic of Poland's traditions on the social institutions of the Cossack state, the second half of the 17th - 18th centuries.

- 'Thanks to the support of the Dean's Office of the Historical Faculty and the cooperation with scientific institutions - the UG Library and the State Archive in Gdańsk - our guest was able to conduct his research and collect scientific material,' informs dr hab. Magdalena Nowak prof. UG from the Historical Faculty of UG, who was the guest's scientific supervisor. His stay in Gdańsk coincided with the peak period of the coronavirus pandemic in Poland. - 'We are glad that despite this we managed to create favourable conditions for his scientific work,' - she adds.

During his stay at the UG, prof. Wiktor Horobec examined the most recent Polish historical literature on the problem of the common socio-cultural heritage of the Republic of many nations and the sources in the collections of the State Archive in Gdańsk. As he reports, the collected materials will primarily serve to prepare a monograph entitled 'Social Disciplining and Self-Organization in Early Modern Ukraine'.

Moreover, he continued work on preparing a book about Hetman Ivan Mazepa, in particular the problem of the Ukrainian Hetman's relations with Stanisław Leszczyński, August II, the Crown and Lithuanian Hetmen in the last decades of the 17th and early 18th centuries.

During his stay in Gdańsk, he also undertook scientific and organisational work. - 'As the editor-in-chief of the 3rd volume of "Wołyń as a part of the Republic of Poland, 1569-1793", a five-volume publishing project entitled As the editor-in-chief of the 3rd volume of "Volhynia as part of the Republic of Poland, 1569-1793", a five-volume publishing project entitled "The History of Volhynia", I tried to enlist the cooperation of leading Polish scholars of modern times to develop the concept of a new edition and write texts for it,' - explains prof. Wiktor Horobec.

Close scientific contacts with UG teachers offer prospects for future scientific cooperation with the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Joint academic conferences and publishing projects are planned, as well as the presentation of research results by Polish historians within the Соціум. Альманахсоціальноїісторії and Ukrainian Historical Journal, in which prof. Wiktor Horobec holds a function - in one of them the editor-in-chief and the other - a member of the editorial board.

Ewa Cichocka/Press Office of University of Gdańsk