2016 was a year full of reasons to celebrate, reflect, and look toward the future in the Ukrainian-Canadian community. It marked not only the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada and the 25th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence but also the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), a leading centre of Ukrainian studies outside Ukraine and an integral part of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta (U of A).
CIUS’s milestone at the University of Alberta was marked alongside the special events across Canada and Alberta devoted to celebrating these landmark anniversaries in the community. Above and beyond CIUS’s regular activities in Edmonton, nationally, and abroad, CIUS staff and colleagues organized and participated in a series of unique events and projects to highlight its forty years of service. Among them was a month-long display in the Rutherford Library Atrium, organized in co-operation with the Kule Folklore Centre and the U of A Libraries; it showcased CIUS’s research areas (Ukrainian studies, Ukrainian-Canadian studies, and Ukrainian language pedagogical resources) and CIUS Press publications. The Institute also participated in several Edmonton festivals: Heritage Days, Ukrainian Day at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, and Sviato 25 in Churchill Square. CIUS’s fortieth also became a catalyst for ongoing initiatives such as the CIUS Digital Archive Project, which continues to digitize all CIUS materials and resources for public access.
CIUS’s hallmark event for its 40th anniversary was a two-day conference titled “Ukrainian Studies in Canada: Texts and Contexts,” held on 14–15 October 2016 at the Lister Conference Centre at the U of A. Bringing together scholars and community members from across Canada, the United States, and Europe, this major event formed the basis of the present publication. These proceedings are a direct product of the transcripts, submitted papers, discussions, questions, and opinions that came out of CIUS’s 40th anniversary conference.
The reader should note that the transcripts of the conference have been edited for clarity and accuracy. All footnotes have been added by the editor. Participants were given the opportunity to review their presentations before publication. Six of the participants chose instead to submit research papers that they had prepared before the conference, and these papers replace the transcripts of their presentations.
The views, opinions, and statements of fact expressed in these proceedings are those of the authors, participants, and speakers, and do not necessarily reflect or represent those of CIUS, the editors, the organizing committee, or the supporters of this conference.
Cyrillic names, particularly in the émigré context, are given in their historical version; others conform to the modified version of the U.S. Library of Congress Romanization system that is used by CIUS and the Ukrainian government.
Please visit www.cius.ca for complete audio and video recordings of the conference and for information about CIUS, including upcoming events and initiatives.
Susanna M. Lynn
CIUS 40th Anniversary Project Coordinator
University of Alberta, May 2017