А lecture "Between the Local and the National. The Importance of Local Identity"

On June 4 at 18:00, the second lecture of the local identity program will explore how our connections to places are formed and why they play a vital role in understanding ourselves and our communities.

During the lecture by historian Volodymyr Masliychuk, we will examine what identity means in general, focusing on national and European identities, and how they correlate with the perception of locus and local history.

Special attention will be paid to the cultural dimension of identities—how communities make sense of their past and why the "search for roots" remains an essential practice that continuously imbues history with new meanings. Using the debates surrounding the origins of Dnipro as a case study, we will discuss how historical narratives are shaped and why they can be revised from a contemporary perspective.

We will also discuss the connection between the city and identity: whether a metropolitan resident can experience tradition, how the urban environment affects communities, and how the local dimension helps navigate periods of social change and crisis. Furthermore, we will look into how identities manifest and are re-evaluated in boundary situations—when conventional perceptions of oneself, one's place, and one's community are put to the test.

Volodymyr Masliychuk is a Doctor of Historical Sciences and an Associate Professor at the Department of History at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He teaches courses on historical methodology, historiography, and 19th-century history, as well as specialized courses on women's history and "The Great Frontier from the Adriatic to the Caspian in the 15th–18th Centuries." He is a contributor to the Ukrainian History: Global Initiative project, led by historian Timothy Snyder, where Volodymyr is authoring the chapter on cities and urban lifestyles from the 14th to the 19th centuries.

His research interests include the urban lifestyle of small towns in Left-Bank Ukraine that bypassed the intensive industrial transformations characteristic of Ukraine's south and east; studies on the traditional world and modernization interventions; and the history of education.

Admission is free, registration is required.

The lecture program on local identity is part of the capacity-building and networking program for local cultural actors "Heritage: Space for Work". This program is supported by the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden.