Why Shevchenko Is Still Central to Ukrainian Identity - with Rory Finnin

Why does Taras Shevchenko remain the central figure of Ukrainian culture? Why is a poet who lived in the 19th century still perceived in Ukraine almost as a contemporary?
How does Shevchenko’s understanding of time and history differ from our present-day perspective, so focused on the immediate moment and often lacking the depth of historical memory? And how did he articulate powerful anticolonial ideas as early as the 19th century — particularly through his empathy and solidarity with other oppressed peoples?
This is the Explaining Ukraine podcast.
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Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.
Guest: Rory Finnin, the Notre Dame Collegiate Mission Chair in Ukrainian Studies and Global Affairs and director of the Ukrainian Studies Hub at the University of Notre Dame. He is a scholar of Ukrainian culture, literature, and identity, and the author of the award-winning book Blood of Others: Stalin’s Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity.
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Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine brought to you by Internews Ukraine.
We thank the Ukrainian History Global Initiative for helping us to organize this conversation.
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Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en
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CONTENTS:
00:00 Why does Taras Shevchenko remain a central and contemporary figure in Ukrainian culture, articulating anti-colonial ideas from the 19th century?
01:55 Why is Shevchenko a contemporary figure, rather than just a historical classic?
03:02 How does the West's tendency to mirror Russia psychologically, but not rhetorically, hinder its understanding of the war?
06:15 How does Shevchenko's understanding of "imperialist time" contrast with the West's short-term perspective, as seen in Russia's 19th-century conquest of Circassia?
09:49 How does Shevchenko's empathy for oppressed peoples like the Circassians differ from the imperialist narratives found in Russian literature?
12:40 What makes Shevchenko's poetry so contemporary, and how does his use of "anti-repoussoir" allow readers to connect personally with the struggles of conquered peoples, even his own friend who died fighting them?
17:57 How does Shevchenko's view of history as an "eternal return" and a series of constant tests, like those faced by early Christians or Jan Hus, make his work timeless?
20:25 How is Shevchenko's biblical worldview centered on profound empathy for the vulnerable, even applying this lens to Christ himself?
22:42 What tragic event in 1978, involving Oleksa Hirnyk's self-immolation on Shevchenko's grave, underscores the poet's enduring anti-colonial message?
25:40 Why does the West continue to misunderstand Russia, despite ample historical literature, by focusing on a "soothing" alternative rather than its vast, multi-ethnic, and often oppressive reality?
30:12 How does Shevchenko's poem "Haydamaky" navigate the complex issue of violence, seemingly romanticizing it while simultaneously depicting its descent into madness?
31:19 Does "Haydamaky" romanticize violence, or does Shevchenko's original perspective condemn the internal infection of violence within Ukrainian society?
37:31 What is Shevchenko's dual legacy of creating a national myth while also offering a critical perspective on Ukrainian history and the importance of family bonds?
38:41 Closing remarks and support information for the "Explaining Ukraine" podcast.