Traditions and development prospects of the Czech studies in Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

• Main Author: Svitlana Motruk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries 2018-11-01
• Series: Європейські історичні студії
• Subjects: Czech studies; University of St. Volodymyr; Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; Department of History and Literature of the Slavonic Dialects; Department of History of Slavs; Department of History of Central and Eastern Europe
• Online Access: http://eustudies.history.knu.ua/svitlana-motruk-traditions-and-development-prospects-of-the-czech-studies-in-taras-shevchenko-national-university-of-kyiv/

The article focuses on the basic directions and subjects of the scientific activity in the Bohemian studies at Kyiv University within the context of formation and development of historical Slavic studies. In particular, general laws and specific features during different development stages have been emphasized, so was the contribution of each individual university departments to the Czech history and culture studies. The establishment of the domestic Slavic studies as a whole and Czech studies in particular is related to a great extent to the scientific activity of the universities of the Russian Empire. In the 1830s – 1840s, the Department of History and Literature of the Slavonic Dialects, and later – Slavonic Philology were founded. The famous Professor of Medieval history A. M.Yasynsky was among the pioneers of Ukrainian Czech studies. The traditions of the university’s Czech studies have been shaped by the work of the Department, wich was established on the Faculty of History in 1967 (Department of History of Slavs since 1996). The brightest representative of this institution and specialist in the foreign policy of Czechoslovakia in the eve of the Second World War was Professor A. F. Kithchenko. Nowadays the Department of History of Central and East Europe, established in 2016 within the framework of the new educational program «Eastern European historical studies», has a wide range of research subjects and interests. Newertheless, in spite of the years of research and the established historical tradition, no center able to stimulate systematic theoretical and practical explorations in this field hasn’t been created so far.