The change in Ukraine’s political situation at the end of the 1980’s, as well as the development of Ukrainian studies in the diaspora, provided the impulse to form a separate scholarly association uniting specialists in fields of Ukrainian studies from countries around the world. This initiative came from scholars from Ukraine and the diaspora, who, thanks to more favorable circumstances in Ukraine, at that time fostered ties and cooperation amongst themselves. Besides individual ties, what was - important in these relations were the connections between managers and co-workers of various institutes of the former Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR (namely, the T. Shevchenko Institute of Literature, O. Potebnja Institute of Language Studies, and Archeographic Commission of the Institute of History) and their colleagues from the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (Univ. of Alberta), and the Naples Institute of Oriental Studies.
The Association’s founding meetings took place on the occasion of a conference titled, “Ukrainian culture: problems and perspectives,” held from June 29 to July 3, 1989 in Naples and Ercolano, Italy. At these meetings, the character and tasks of the Association were discussed, a statute was approved, and the first governing board was selected. Scholars of Ukrainian studies from Ukraine, the U.S., Canada, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland and Poland took part in the conference. The decision was also made to convene an international congress of Ukrainian scholars in Kyiv. This newly-created union of Ukrainian studies specialists adopted the name “International Association of Ukrainian Studies,” while the name chosen for the Association’s managing organ was the “International Committee of Ukrainian Studies,” of which the first head to be selected was the academician Vitaly Rusanivsky, director of the Potebnja Institute of Language Studies.
IAUS, according to its statute, is a union of national and regional associations of Ukrainian studies specialists, which have already formed (today there are 21 national affiliates) or will be formed in various countries around the world. The organizational basis of the Association consists of local, voluntary unions of researchers of Ukrainian language, history and culture. Research institutions in which studies of humanities and social sciences are conducted using materials related to Ukrainian history, ethnography, literature, language, etc. may also be collective members of the Association. The center of the Association’s organizational work is the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and its various sections of social science, from where the International Committee of Ukrainian Studies operates.
International congresses of Ukrainian studies, which are announced by the International Committee of Ukrainian Studies, are conducted at regular intervals in Ukraine (and, when necessary, beyond Ukraine’s borders). The focus of IAUS international congresses is the presentation of scholarly work, dealing with a wide range of themes in Ukrainian studies. During the course of the international congresses, questions of a research-organizational character are also examined, including: the activity of research institutions that make up IAUS; the coordination of plans of various research institutions; and the publication of Ukrainian studies literature.
In the period between congresses, the International Committee of Ukrainian Studies manages the work of IAUS. The work of the International Committee of Ukrainian Studies includes the following: accepting new members into IAUS (countries in which Ukrainian studies are conducted, as well as research institutions which are recommended by IAUS national affiliates and qualify as collective members); planning and preparing the program and logistics of the next international conference; coordinating the work of IAUS national affiliates; and publishing an IAUS informational bulletin. Conducting its work, the International Committee of Ukrainian Studies is managed according to the statute developed and accepted at the first, founding conference of IAUS.
The first International Congress of Ukrainian Studies took place in Kyiv, Ukraine from August 27 to September 3, 1990. This was the first organized forum of Ukrainian studies specialists on such a level, taking into consideration the number of participants (500) and countries from which they came, as well as the number of delivered presentations (over 300) and topics considered. In the years since, International Congresses were held in cities with long university traditions throughout Ukraine: Lviv, 1993; Kharkiv, 1996; Odesa, 1999; and Chernivtsi, 2002. After each Congress, presentations, information about sessions, and bulletins were published (see IAUS Publications).
