Ukrainian Studies in Times of War and International Crisis: Challenges, Achievements, and Perspectives 2017–2026

An international workshop on the development, challenges and future of Ukrainian Studies – marking 10 years of the URIS Fellowship Programme at the University of Basel

Over the past decade, Ukrainian Studies have undergone profound changes. Research agendas, institutional landscapes and academic networks have evolved, while Russia’s full-scale invasion has fundamentally changed the conditions under which research on Ukraine is conducted, taught and communicated.

The international workshop “Ukrainian Studies in Times of War and International Crisis: Challenges, Achievements, and Perspectives 2017–2026” brings together former and current URIS Fellows and members of the Academic Advisory Board to discuss these developments from different international and disciplinary perspectives.

Taking place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the URIS Fellowship Programme, three roundtables address the international development of Ukrainian Studies, academic trajectories and networks, and developments across different disciplines.

The workshop concludes with the public panel “Beyond the Headlines” on academic knowledge and public debate about Ukraine.

Participation is open to everyone; no registration is required.

Programm

Programme – 30 October 2026

09:00–09:30 
Coffee & Tea

09:30–10:00 
Welcome & Introduction 
F. Benjamin Schenk (Basel)

10:00–12:00 
Roundtable I: The Development of Ukrainian Studies: Switzerland in International Perspective

Chair: Harald Binder (Lviv) 
Viktoriya Sereda (Berlin): Germany 
Georgiy Kasianov (Lublin): Poland 
Valeriya Korablyova (Prague): Czech Republic 
Vitaly Chernetsky (Kansas, online): North America

12:00–13:30 
Lunch Break

13:30–15:00 
Roundtable II: From Basel Onwards: URIS and Academic Trajectories

Chair: Norbert Rütsche (Tbilisi) 
Kateryna Dysa (Kyiv) 
Kateryna Yeremieieva (Würzburg) 
Oleksandr Polianichev (Stockholm) 
Svitlana Pidoprygora (Innsbruck) 
Mikhail Akulov (Astana)

15:00–15:30 
Coffee Break

15:30–17:00 
Roundtable III: The Development of Ukrainian Studies in Academic Disciplines

Chair: Anna Hodel (Basel) 
Mikhail Minakov (Milano): Political Science and Philosophy 
Katia Denysova (Tübingen): Art History 
Olena Palko (Basel): History

17:00–18:00 
Break

The workshop concludes at 18:00 with the public panel “Beyond the Headlines. Rethinking Ukraine since 2014: Academic Knowledge and Public Engagement” at the Alte Universität. Chaired by F. Benjamin Schenk, the panel brings together Tetiana Kyselova, Gwendolyn Sasse, Maryna Shevtsova and Claude Wild.