On October 25, 2016 over 100 scientists from Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland gathered at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv to present their works in the sphere of Hrushevsky studies and discuss actual problems connected with the research of different aspects of the activity of Mykhailo Hrushevsky and profound understanding of his historiographic heritage.
“The 25-th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence has been marked by two great jubilee anniversaries – 160-th anniversary of Ivan Franko’s birthday and 150-th anniversary of Mykhailo Hrushevsky’s birthday – the great Ukrainians whose fates were connected with Lviv university” – the Rector Volodymyr Melnyk addressed with his opening speech to the participants of the International scientific conference “Mykhailo Hrushevsky: scientist, politician, public figure”.
“Mykhailo Hrushevsky and Ivan Franko stood together as architects of new Ukraine”, – the Rector emphasized adding: “Ivan Franko considered the most important task of the Ukrainian intelligentsia to form the Ukrainian nation, social cultural organism capable of the independent cultural and political life from the ethnic mass of the Ukrainian people. Mykhailo Hrushevsky was a symbol of the Ukrainian national unity; he considered it as the union of all parts of the Ukrainian nation in the single national, state, national and cultural organism”.
The professor Volodymyr Melnyk also stressed on the intersection of Mykhailo Hrushevsky and Ivan Franko’s fates in the history of Lviv university as well as he outlined in detail the historical concepts of Mykhailo Hrushevsky as “principal mystical and irrational factors in the historical process”.
Summing up, Volodymyr Melnyk emphasized: “The activity of Mykhailo Hrushevsky became the significant phenomenon of the contemporary, cultural, intellectual and political component of Ukraine as he worked simultaneously in all spheres of the public life. The school of historians and politicians created by him played a key role in the processes of new Ukrainian nation and state formation at the beginning of the XX century. Being a historian by vocation, a scientist Mykhailo Hrushevsky, in fact, became the founder of the Ukrainian state of the contemporary time”, – the Rector noted.
Mykhailo Hrushevsky – the President of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, the Ukrainian scientific society, the head of the historical section of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, the chairperson of the university and academic departments, the founder of Lviv and Kyiv scientific schools forming the epoch in the national historiography.
The vice-president of the Shevchenko Scientific Society Stepan Heletei emphasized on the extraordinary nature of Mykhailo Hrushevsky as an unsurpassed organizer of the scientific life as well as his exceptional role in the development of the first Ukrainian national academy of sciences – Shevchenko Scientific Society.
“Mykhailo Hrushevsky began his active scientific and organizational activity in the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv. He headed the historical and philosophical section, edited “The Notes of the Shevchenko Scientific Society”, established and headed the Archeographical commission of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and in 1897-1913 he was the President of the Society which under his direction was developed as an academic establishment on the example of Western European establishments”, – Stepan Helei told.
The Director of the Ivan Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Mykola Lytvyn noted that Mykhailo Hrushevsky has been and he remains to be one of the most significant intellectuals of contemporary Ukraine.
The feat of that time and the state and political rank of the Professor of Lviv university still obsesses the enemies and opponents of Ukraine. They can’t forgive Mykhailo Hrushevsky the fact that he destroyed the Russian official and historical doctrine of that time and realized the Ukrainian concept”, Mykola Lytvyn noted.
According to the Director of the Mykhailo Hrushevsky State Memorial Museum in Lviv Mariia Mahun, “Lviv can be proud of the fact that it has “History” of Mykhailo Hrushevsky in its annals – the history of his life and activity. “It is difficult to comprehend that scientific heritage Mykhailo Hrushevsky left us “as a historian who is incredibly rich in ideas and theories, as a scientist and public figure, as a person who presented us a passport in the world history”, – Mariia Mahun believes.
The plenary speech of the Professor Oleksii Sukhyi, the Chairperson of the department of contemporary history of Ukraine named after M.Hrushevsky was about the activity of Mykhailo Hrushevsky as the Professor of Lviv university.
“The first and most important task after taking the position of the Professor of Lviv university was to prepare the course of Ukrainian history. The development and reading the course of history of Ukraine was the factor that pushed Hrushevsky to the idea of creating the extensive, detailed and scientific history of our nation. So, during 1897-1898 the first volume of “History of Ukraine-Rus” was written. In the following years Mykhailo Hrushevsky went on working on this fundamental work”, – Oleksii Sukhyi noted adding that Hrushevsky’s course in history of Ukraine had a great importance in the process of forming the concept of history of Ukraine.
“Monumental research achievements of Mykhailo Hrushevsky in the form of “History of Ukraine-Rus”, “History of Ukrainian literature”, hundreds of further publications became the durable foundation to understand the history of Ukraine as the history of the Ukrainian society in pre-national and national phases”, a famous historian, a representative of Mykhailo Hrushevsky’s school, the professor of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Yaroslav Dashkevych estimated scientific achievements of the scientist. According to him, “Mykhailo Hrushevsky is a gigantic figure in the Ukrainian historical science, hi is unique and original. He was a complicated and exceptional personality. He was not a one-colored person, he had highlights and shadows. His great creative power is, first of all, enormous efficiency and devotion to the science.”
The Director of the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Historical Memorial Museum in Kyiv Svitlana Pankova made an attempt to create the psychological auto portrait of Mykhailo Hrushevsky based on the diaries and epistolary of the scientist.
The chairperson of the source studies department of New history of Ukraine of the M.S.Hrushevsky Institute of the Ukrainian Archeography and Source studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine the Professor Ihor Hyrych and the Professor of the department of Ancient History and special historical disciplines of Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University of Drohobych Vitalii Telvak gave plenary speeches.
We can add that International scientific conference “Mykhailo Hrushevsky: scientist, politician, public figure” will last till October 26, 2016 and work in the format of section meetings.