Geopolitical curse or space of freedom?The Ukrainian steppe in the 19th century literary imagination

The Ukrainian steppe has always been a porous borderland where cultures met, clashed, and mingled; it has, thus, been an object of representation in multiple literatures. For Ukrainian writers, it is, on the one hand, a geographical curse, leaving Ukraine defenceless against invasion; yet on the other, it has been a space of freedom and a repository of resistance – it is here that the myth of unruly Cossack Ukraine has its origins. For Russian writers it appears as a stage on which Russia asserts its military and imperial might; for Polish Romantics, fascinated by the wild landscapes and their savage inhabitants, Ukraine’s steppes were the blood-soaked stage for a performance of national martyrdom. This talk will examine representations of the Ukrainian steppe across three literatures in the early-mid 19^th century, tracing the shifts and nuances of its cultural meanings.

The seminar takes place at the Slavic Eurasian Research Centre at the University of Hokkaido, Sapporo, and on Zoom. The start time is 08.30am UK time, (4.30pm Sapporo), Wednesday 21 June.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bQNdI8KWTQ24wIOBseXaFA? 

Speaker: Dr Uilleam Blacker

Image credit: Wikimedia