The first Ukrainian Studies programmes abroad were established through the initiative of members of the Ukrainian diaspora, who, thanks to their scholarly experience and organisational skills, developed these centres. This happened after the defeat of the national movement in the struggle against the Bolsheviks during the years 1917–1921. However, more than 50 years ago, in 1948, the newspaper Ukrainski Visti described challenges that remain relevant to this day: the prevalence of Russian narratives about Ukraine’s history and culture and the excessive inward focus of Ukrainian scholars rather than on the role of Ukrainians and Ukraine in the world at large. Subsequently, Ukrainian studies centres developed with varying success, drawing particular attention during the declaration of Ukraine’s independence, the Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity, and the onset of the full-scale war.
According to a study by the Ukrainian Institute, Western universities observed a significant rise in first-year students enrolling in Ukrainian or Polish language programmes in September 2022. This increase was accompanied by a marked decline in interest in Russian studies, with enrolments falling by 30% to 50% compared to 2021. Furthermore, Duolingo, the popular language learning app, noted that over 1.3 million people worldwide had begun studying Ukrainian as a sign of solidarity and support.
Given these developments, which academic institutions are focusing on Ukrainian studies, and what is the current status of Russian studies?
Centres of Ukrainian Studies in the world
The Ukrainian Studies Go Global platform reports that, according to the QS World University Rankings 2022, Ukrainian studies are available at 57 of the world’s top 200 universities. Of these, seven institutions offer comprehensive academic programmes in Ukrainian studies, while 24 incorporate Ukrainian studies into broader regional programmes such as East European or Slavic studies. Additionally, 26 universities include Ukrainian studies components within other disciplines, including political and social studies, and language and literature.
The Ukrainian Institute has identified approximately 170 centres dedicated to Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar studies abroad. The majority—107 in total—are specialised programmes within university faculties, schools, and institutes, including research centres and academic departments. There are slightly fewer non-university research or analytical centres, totalling 17.
According to the organisation’s observations, the development of Ukrainian studies has been most successful in democratic countries with significant Ukrainian diasporas, such as the USA and Canada, or in nations with strong historical ties to Ukraine, like Poland. The research indicates that in countries with a smaller or less established diaspora and a political focus on other regions, such as France or Italy, Ukrainian studies are progressing unevenly and lag significantly behind Russian studies.
Conversely, some neighbouring countries of Ukraine, such as Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary, have long neglected their bilateral relations, resulting in a gradual decline in academic Ukrainian studies (similarly, there are no well-developed Romanian, Slovak, or Hungarian studies programmes in Ukraine). The situation is more promising in Scandinavian countries, where the establishment of Ukrainian studies is not driven by diaspora initiatives but rather by growing interest in the Eastern European region. Consequently, these centres are created with a focus on social sciences.
Regarding the number of Ukrainian studies centres in countries nearest to Ukraine or in major partner nations, there are 22 in Poland, 18 each in the USA and Germany, and 13 in Canada.
Ukrainian Studies today: challenges
Ukrainian studies face a range of challenges that are crucial to their development and effectiveness. These challenges include insufficient funding and academic positions dedicated specifically to Ukrainian studies, a lack of practical programmes to promote the Ukrainian language abroad, and the absence of a certification system for Ukrainian as a foreign language. Moreover, some centres struggle with inadequate engagement with Ukrainian diplomatic missions or other relevant institutions abroad.
Professor Yevhen Dobrenko, a leading expert on Stalinist culture at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, highlights a fundamental hurdle: the discipline of Ukrainian studies cannot simply be created from scratch. Historically, it has been predominantly established in Canada.
“Ukrainian studies were virtually non-existent in Europe or the USA,” Dobrenko noted in an interview with The Ukrainian Week. “Now, it is beginning to emerge, but the process is very slow. Additionally, we need qualified staff to teach the subject, which requires comprehensive training programmes and a steady flow of graduates. This is not a task that can be accomplished quickly; it demands significant time and effort.”
Moreover, a significant level of student interest is crucial. “Universities, particularly large and well-funded ones, may initially invest in and support the discipline,” notes the professor from Ca’ Foscari University. “However, for the discipline to thrive in the long term, it must be self-sustaining through student enrolment. It remains uncertain how long it will take to attract enough students to at least partially cover costs. Given the broader trend of declining interest in languages—evidenced by the closure or merger of many modern language departments—the establishment and endurance of a new language discipline is a formidable challenge.”
As was previously highlighted by Natalia Shpylyova-Said, a lecturer in the Ukrainian programme at Harvard University’s Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and a researcher in memory studies, Ukrainian studies face additional challenges. One significant issue is that Ukrainian has been classified as a “less commonly taught language” for decades. Furthermore, Shpylyova-Said points out that current restrictions on travel to Ukraine due to security concerns pose another significant obstacle for Ukrainian programmes.
Russian Studies: a major hurdle
Although Ukrainian studies have been established globally for decades, they still fall short of Russian studies in terms of scale. Even with the outbreak of the full-scale war, many Western universities have neither abandoned these programmes nor revised their curricula.
It’s, therefore, no surprise that students in the West continue to encounter biases and Russian narratives in their studies. For instance, some programmes conflate “Rus” with “Russia,” refer to the Second World War as the “Great Patriotic War,” describe Ukraine as a “colonial appendage of Poland,” and at the University of Chicago, the Chornobyl disaster is framed as a Russian event, with its portrayal in Russian literature being the focus of study.
As Tomasz Kamusella, Professor of Modern History of Central and Eastern Europe at the University of St Andrews, points out, the ongoing war in Ukraine should have been enough to spur Western scholars with liberal and democratic values to “protest loudly and forcefully.” Yet, such a response has not materialised.
Tomasz Kamusella, writing for New Eastern Europe, highlights that some scholars have complex motivations and fears related to their work on Russian studies. One academic hoped to avoid obstruction when accessing Russian archives post-war or once the war’s intensity decreased. Another sought to preempt potential criticism of a new Russian language textbook authored by him and an ethnic Russian co-author. Additionally, a third scholar worried that discussing certain topics could negatively impact the recruitment for Russian and Russia-related programmes at his institution.
Kamusella points out that these hopes and anxieties revolve around research on Russia and the teaching of the Russian language. “Scholars have unconsciously become both professionally and emotionally dependent on the Russian Federation and its institutions, regardless of the Kremlin’s horrific actions and decisions,” Kamusella notes. “In the parlance of the Soviet KGB, they have become ‘useful idiots of Moscow.'”
Meanwhile, Professor Yevhen Dobrenko of Ca’ Foscari University in Venice observes that the academic environment is notably conservative. Consequently, shifts within this sphere often fail to reflect broader trends, including those affecting Russian studies.
“Student enrolment has declined, which is an anticipated trend. However, it is unclear whether this drop is a result of sanctions and the significant reduction in contacts and economic ties with Russia, the diminishing job prospects for those studying Russian (which would be a logical explanation), or a broader trend observed over the past decade—a sharp decline in interest in the humanities and foreign languages in general. Russian studies has always been influenced by political conditions, a reality familiar to those within the field,” the scholar explains.
Yevhen Dobrenko also provides insights into the experiences of scholars working in Russian studies. “This is a niche discipline with a complex relationship for Western scholars. While they often have a deep passion for the subject—something essential for engagement—they simultaneously harbour strong negative feelings towards the Russian state. For most experts in the field, recent events have not altered their views significantly, as they harboured no illusions about Russia and its regime even before the war,” Dobrenko tells The Ukrainian Week.
