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Book premiere: Prof. Portnov unfolds the secrets of Ukraine
On May 21st, Prof. Dr. Andrii Portnov published his book “Ukraine Studies” at the HU Berlin, a comprehensive introduction to Ukraine studies.
Book premiere: Prof. Portnov unfolds the secrets of Ukraine
On May 12, 2025, the Humboldt University of Berlin announced a significant book presentation. Professor Dr. Andrii Portnov will present his new work entitled “Ukraine Studies. Introduction” on Wednesday, May 21st at 6 p.m. This is the first comprehensive introduction to Ukrainian studies in German, covering crucial topics such as Ukrainian history, politics, literatures, media, languages and confessions from a comparative perspective. The event will take place in lecture hall 2094 at the Humboldt University, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin.
The presentation is organized by the Professorship of East Slavic Literatures and Cultures at Humboldt University, the Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies (VCPU) and the PRISMA UKRAЇNA Research Network Eastern Europe. According to [europa-uni.de], Portnov summarizes international research results and integrates his extensive research and teaching experience that he has gained in Germany since 2012 on Eastern European cultures and history.
Meaning of the work
Professor Portnov emphasizes the need for an intellectual rethink regarding Ukraine and Germany. His goal is to promote a sustained interest in Ukraine that goes beyond the current conflict. In his work he goes beyond the “Ukrainian voice” and considers Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish issues in a transnational context. He highlights Ukraine's internal diversity, which is seen as a strength of the Ukrainian project of a political nation. Portnov also criticizes the relapse into a schematic national history and warns against politically motivated reductionism in postcolonial historiography.
A central aspect of the book are historical perspectives, such as those of the Ukrainian cyberneticist Viktor Glushkov and the special role of Dnipro as the largest Jewish community center in Europe. Following [nomos.de], Portnov aims to develop a new analytical language for Europe and the world and shows how Ukraine is historically a place where Eastern and Western Christianity as well as Islam and Judaism meet.
Interdisciplinarity and challenges
The book is not only intended for teachers, students and journalists, but is also aimed at politicians and anyone interested in Eastern Europe. Portnov would like to bring together interdisciplinary knowledge about Ukraine in a compact manner and thereby address the interactions within Ukrainian-Polish, Ukrainian-Russian and Ukrainian-German relations. The development of Ukrainian studies, as [zeitschrift-osteuropa.de] reports, is being driven forward by the new Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies, which is committed to the goal of not excluding research on Poland and Russia, but rather viewing it in the context of Ukrainian history.
In this sense, Portnov complements his book with a discussion of the question of the purpose and goal of studying history. The complex Ukrainian history, he believes, should be researched as a history of interconnections. Addressing the issue of Ukraine and its neighbors provides important insights into current geopolitical challenges.