“‘Since Russia’s invasion in February last year, interest in Ukraine and its rich culture has surged to unprecedented levels in the UK. The summer school offers participants an opportunity to immerse themselves in the beauty of the Ukrainian language and the complexity of Ukraine’s history and culture.’”
University of Birmingham
and
Ivan Franko National University
Birmingham and Ivan Franko’s Twinning partnership launched on Ukraine’s Constitution Day 2022 with a five-year MoU. The universities committed to building a comprehensive partnership embracing academics, staff and students.
Over the last year, the universities have shaped engagement around two foundational strands of activity:
200K Identity, Sovereignty and Resilience UKRI research grant, awarded March 2023, which comprises:
(i) a flagship initiative on Constitutional Law;
(ii) academic development and capacity-building workshops; and (iii) a visiting researcher scheme.
Jointly delivered and hugely successful Unlocking Ukraine: A Journey through Language, History and Culture Summer School, hosted in Birmingham from 17-28 July 2023.
Introduction
Constitutional Law
The flagship research initiative combines the extensive expertise of IFNUL’s Department of Constitutional Law and Ukrainian Journal of Constitutional Law, with the Birmingham Law School, to realise a project that has been developed in partnership with Ukraine’s Constitutional Court.
Together, the universities are developing an ‘English-Ukrainian Legal Dictionary’ to rectify the acute problems that continued application of post-Soviet legal terminology cause for understanding the rule of law in Ukrainian jurisprudence.
This project grew out of our partnership launch event where we first met Serhiy Holovaty, Acting Head of the Ukraine Constitutional Court, who is now on our editorial advisory board.
‘In the modern conditions of Ukraine's struggle for its independence, there is an obvious need to increase the awareness of the societies of European countries about Ukrainian history, language and culture. Therefore, our partnership with the University of Birmingham is part of a large-scale and long-term project, which aims to realize not only educational and scientific goals, but also to be engaged in a wider range of national state-building tasks.”
Professor Volodymyr Melnyk, Rector of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv
Theatre Studies
‘Through these initiatives and our strong match in academic credentials, we have developed close and supportive working relationships, and a good understanding of each other’s organisational contexts to sustain a long-term partnership.’
Shared the universities representatives
The partnership expands long-standing links in Theatre Studies between UoB’s Shakespeare Institute and INFUL’s Faculty of Culture and Arts.
A six-day visit to UoB’s Department of Drama & Theatre Arts, Shakespeare Institute and RSC allowed researchers to share best practise in MA programme delivery.
IFNUL also visited Westminster’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Shakespeare, gifting the Commons Speaker with a Hamlet puppet from Ukraine’s theatre community. This high-profile exchange enhanced the profile of our twinning partnership.
Visiting Researcher scheme
Institutions’ interlinked Visiting Researcher scheme brought 3 ECRs from IFNUL’s faculties of Foreign Languages, History, and Philosophy to Birmingham’s Institute for German and European Studies. These
1-2 month visits have developed research networks and skills, and supported reciprocal knowledge sharing to raise UK awareness of Ukraine.
Workshops to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and development
4 workshops brought IFNUL and UoB researchers together with NGOs and community organisations to build capacity to address post-conflict reconstruction in relation to:
military occupation; post-soviet security;
infrastructure re-development;
and rebuilding community through the arts.
Workshops developed the methodological capability of IFNUL collaborators to carry out community action in-country for longer-term societal benefit. Preliminary field work has also provided proof-of-concept data to sustain research through external grant applications. For example, a hybrid workshop on Cross-border resilience of critical transport infrastructure in Ukraine brought together 25 academics, decision-makers and policy makers from UK and Ukraine. A draft journal paper and white paper are now in preparation to communicate workshop results to Ukraine’s Ministry of Restoration.
Unlocking Ukraine Summer School
‘Our diverse community of learners have come together to explore, appreciate, and celebrate the richness of culture in all its forms. We appreciate the curiosity of the participants and the will to expand their horizons. We are also convinced that this school will lay the foundation for further comprehensive cooperation for the development of education and cultural exchange.’
Liubov Mykiievych, Andriana Terekhovska and Anhelina Berezhnenko, IFNUL student leaders at the “Unlocking Ukraine” Summer School
Co-delivery of the two-week summer school met one of IFNUL’s primary requests for partnership support, helping to preserve their tradition of teaching Ukrainian language and culture to non-Ukrainians. IFNUL have hosted international summer schools on campus for many years, but this is not feasible in current circumstances.
Achievements and Impacts
‘Together, our universities intend to build a resilient international partnership that is purposeful, committed, comprehensive, and sustained. We look forward to working together over the coming years to fulfil the potential of the young people of Ukraine and the UK, and to supporting the future development of our two nations.’
Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) at the University of Birmingham
Across this set of initiatives, UoB welcomed 16 IFNUL colleagues and 3 students to campus from June-July 2023: an impressive feat given the not-inconsiderable visa challenges involved. Additionally, IFNUL-UoB collaborators met in Warsaw for UKRI workshop activity.
A PVC-I-led academic delegation visited Lviv on 24th August 2023 - Ukraine’s Independence Day - to participate in a showcase event for the Legal Dictionary initiative and Shakespeare/theatre studies collaboration. This celebratory event provided a powerful demonstration of UoB’s support, recognized by Rector Volodymyr Melnyk as a sign of great respect for Ukraine.
One of the first of its kind in the UK, universities’ summer school raised the profile of Ukraine culture and context to a broad audience, including students, the general public, diasporic Eastern European communities, and hosts of homes for Ukraine. Participants embraced studying Ukrainian, a language extremely rarely offered at UK institutions. This is particularly crucial as knowledge of Ukrainian abroad will enable students to interpret the war through the lens of Ukrainians as opposed to hegemonic Russian narratives. The keynote lecture by Olesya Khromeychuk’s (Director of the Ukrainian Institute) was hosted at Birmingham’s East European arts organisation, Centrala, and supported the City’s sanctuary mission to build a culture of hospitality and welcome.
Grant activity has not only shaped research outcomes but broadened academic expertise and cultural awareness on both sides through the exchange of research skills, pedagogical preferences and professional development opportunities.