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Dear Colleagues:

We direct your attention to the posted program for the 6^th Congress of the International Association of Ukrainian Studies (IAUS), which will take place from June 28-July 1, 2005 in Donetsk.

The program for the 6^th Congress was compiled (in alphabetical order) by Prof. Marta Bohachevsky-Chomiak (director of the Fulbright program in Ukraine); Prof. Mark von Hagen (professor at Columbia University, president of IAUS); Dr. Alexandra Hnatiuk (University of Warsaw); Prof. Yaroslav Hrytsak (Ivan Franko National University of L’viv, vice-president of IAUS); Tamara Hundarova (Institute of Literature, Taras Shevchenko National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine); Olena Huzar (University of Ternopil); Prof. Myroslava Znayenko (Rutgers University, head of American national association of IAUS); Prof. Natalie Kononeko (University of Alberta); Prof. Laryssa Onyshkevych (head of Shevchenko Scientific Society in New York City); Prof. Oleksandr Ponomariv (National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv); Prof. Serhiy Plokhiy (University of Alberta); Prof. Frank Sysyn (University of Alberta); Hanna Skrypnyk (Institute of Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; head of the National Association of IAUS); Dmytro Stus (Institute of Literature, Taras Shevchenko National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine).

The Organizing Committee received approximately 1,300 proposals for participation in the Congress. The absolute majority of these proposals were of high quality and reflect a dynamic state of contemporary Ukrainian studies. However, the Organizing Committee had to limit the quantity of participants to 650 individuals, with a view to the realistic number of people which Donetsk State University can host within its walls.

During selection, preference was given to those proposals which addressed the major thematic blocks of the 6^th Congress: 1) history and culture of southern and eastern Ukraine; 2) regional and local problems of Donbas; 3) Ukrainian-Russian borderlands; 4) ethnic groups in southern and eastern Ukraine; 5) industrialization, urbanization and worker’s movements; 6) the history of science.

Besides this, the Organizing Committee particularly supported and encouraged those themes that were not heard at past conferences, such as education reform, development of social work, political science, etc. The tradition of the Congresses is that the regions where they are held have maximum representation – therefore, as a rule, all proposals from the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts were accepted. Preference was given also to those panels where Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian members participate together. Given that the majority of submitted proposals came from Kyiv (approximately 800), particular attention was paid to creating the widest possible representation of the geography of Ukrainian studies, beyond the capital of Ukraine. As a result, the geographic distribution looks as follows: Kyiv – 198, Lviv – 93, Donetsk – 38, Kharkiv – 21, Chernivtsi – 12, Odesa – 12, Dnipropetrovsk – 11, Luhansk – 11, Ternopil – 8, Chernihiv – 6, Zaporizhia – 4, Lutsk – 4, other cities in Ukraine – 70; Poland – 41; Russia – 31; Canada – 26; USA – 14; Germany – 13; Slovakia – 7; Hungary – 5; other countries – 28.

Among past Congresses, only the last Congress (the 5^th in Chernivtsi in 2002) had the same amount of participants. All other Congresses had 400-500 individuals. Therefore, in shortening the program to 650 individuals, the Organizing Committee sincerely aimed to preserve the maximum possible amount from the past.

Financial limitations also played a role, although not a major one. Today, from the two main government donors – the Ministry of Education and the Academy of Sciences – only the Ministry of Education has transferred funds to the account of Donetsk State University. This money is inadequate even to accommodate 650 individuals and, therefore, the Organizing Committee is currently conducting intensified searches for additional money.

The budget of the Congress is calculated to cover the costs of travel and accommodation for Ukrainian residents who are participants. Foreign participants will take part in the work of the Congress at their own cost.

Allow us to once again assure that all decisions were made collegially, on the basis of criteria which were publicized earlier, and the Organizing Committee hopes that the International Association of Ukrainian Studies will continue to work under the principles of transparency and collegial responsibility.

Sincerely,

Prof. Mark von Hagen, president of IAUS

Prof. Yaroslav Hrytsak, vice-president of IAUS

Prof. Frank Sysyn, vice-president