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Department of modern languages & cultural studies. The Ukrainian Culture Language & Literature Program
RESOURCES

FOR ALL STUDENTS & THE GENERAL READER

This part of the "Resources" section contains information, which is available on the Internet and is useful to the general reader wishing to get an introduction to Ukrainian culture in the broadest sense of the word, as well as Ukrainian language and literature. For the most part, we have selected Ukrainian-language sites, in order to address the needs of students learning and/or mastering this language.  Please note, however, that many sites—among them especially those devoted to the news—have parallel English, Russian, and even Polish versions. Thus if you are not conversant in Ukrainian, you may access one of these versions, by clicking on the flag or symbol that corresponds to the language of your choice.

The resources listed here might serve as a starting point when researching topics for course projects. However, we encourage all students to also study the bibliography provided for each course.  We advise students to use all resources critically, be they available in print or on the Internet.  Always consult with a scholar in the field. Learning to discern the reliability of all types of publication is part of the education process and one's professional development.

Like many sections in this web site, this one is a work in progress.  Please alert the Editor, Dr. Natalia Pylypiuk, if you encounter problems. Do not hesitate to suggest new entries.
 
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[Left:] Yulia Tymoshenko appears in an outfit based on embroidered festive dress of the Sokal' region (Lviv oblast') (Photograph by Dmytro Amidov). [Center:] Kateryna Yushchenko wears a burgundy gown, beaded in the Bukovynian style (Press Corps of the President). [Right:] Ms.Tymoshenko wears a stylization of traditional Poltava costume. (By courtesy of Tabloid and Y. Tymoshenko's Official Site.)
 

EMBROIDERY IN UKRAINIAN CULTURE

The Soviet persecution of the peasantry and intelligentsia, which began in the late 1920's led to the neglect of traditional dress. In general, Communist authorities disdained the peasants' manner of dressing as an expression of Ukrainian nationalism. In the 1960s, during the post-Stalinist thaw, the urban intelligentsia, especially the dissidents in Kyiv and Lviv, reintroduced the custom of 19th. c. intellectuals of incorporating embroidery and traditional folk motifs into contemporary design. For them this was an act of defiance and self-assertion, akin to the coterminous "Black is Beautiful" movement in the USA. Today, among the elite, the wearing of folk dress, often as interpreted by exclusive designers, is also a political statement.

Olena Suslova

Manager of the Information & Consultation Centre for Women, a NGO located in Kyiv and dedicated to the promotion of gender equality. Ms Suslova is wearing a dress that incorporates traditional embroidery.