'Past as Prelude: Polish-Ukrainian Relations for the Twenty-First Century'

Sidney hosts international conference on relations between Poland and Ukraine.

The latest in a series of events, organised by the new Cambridge Polish Studies and Cambridge Ukrainian Studies initiatives in the Department of Slavonic Studies, takes place in Sidney at the end of this month. A major international conference has been convened by Sidney Fellow Dr Stanley Bill, and will discuss the future of Polish-Ukrainian relations.

Since 1989, Poland and Ukraine have developed a constructive political relationship that may stand as one of the most remarkable political and social achievements of recent European history. Yet hopes for the future have also been intertwined with more difficult discussions of an often tumultuous shared past.

At Past as Prelude: Polish-Ukrainian Relations for the Twenty-First Century, an array of scholars and stakeholders will consider how this delicate negotiation between past and future will continue to develop in circumstances of increasing regional instability after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. By bringing together speakers from diverse intellectual and political spheres, the conference hope to cultivate an open exchange of ideas that will yield coherent new pathways for the future development of Polish-Ukrainian relations.

Speakers include: Łukasz Adamski, Michał Boni, Robert Frost, Ola Hnatiuk, Yaroslav Hrytsak, Tadeusz Iwański, Paweł Kowal, Igor Lyubashenko, Serhii Plokhii, Andriy Portnov, Yohanan Petrovsky-Stern, Mykola Riabchuk, Sławomir Sierakowski, Frank Sysyn, Evhen Vorobiov, and Karolina Wigura.

Past as Prelude takes place on 30 June-1 July. Registration is free.