City: History, Culture, Society
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics
<p><em>City: History, Culture, Society</em> is a peer-reviewed, biannual academic journal that publishes original research articles, book reviews, and supplementary materials pertaining to urban studies. </p> <p>The Journal was founded in 2016 by the Institute of the History of Ukraine of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences and the History Department of Taras Shevchenko National University. </p> <p><em>City </em>intends to advance and institutionalize urban studies in Ukraine, as well as establish an international network of urban studies-focused researchers. The journal serves as a forum for interdisciplinary dialogue and welcomes contributions from experts in different humanities and social science disciplines. As an e-journal, we plan to experiment with various methods of presenting and producing content, including online lectures and e-conferences, and we are always open to other forms of collaboration. </p> <p>The journal's thematic focus includes, but is not limited to, urban history, urban culture development, and the phenomenon of the city in the global historical process. We encourage submissions in the fields of economic history, historical ecology, urban folklore, and gender studies. </p> <p>Academics, graduate, postgraduate, PhD students, and urban activists are encouraged to submit unpublished, original manuscripts. </p> <p>The Journal is published twice yearly in English and Ukrainian. Other languages may be considered as well (except Russian). </p> <p><strong><em>Editorial policy</em></strong> </p> <p>The Journal's editorial policy is based on the following principles: </p> <ul> <li>Only previously unpublished articles that meet scholarly quality standards and present completed research are accepted for publication.</li> <li>The Journal abides by the policy of double-blind peer review. After the editorial selection, the manuscript undergoes an anonymous external review. The report of two external experts on a submitted article is of critical importance when deciding whether or not to publish it. </li> <li>The editorial board may request that the article be revised and resubmitted. It also reserves the right to withhold explanations for rejected manuscripts. </li> <li>Manuscripts with plagiarized content are not accepted for publication. </li> <li>Since the Journal is non-profit, all publications are free. </li> <li> <p>Any cooperation with scholars from the Russian Federation (those who support the invasion or even have never spoken up against it; still preserve Russian citizenship; cooperated with Russian official institutions after 2014) or scholars who cooperated or were affiliated with Russian academic institutions or informal initiatives (including publications in related journals) is taboo until the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine will be restored.</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong><em>Open access policy</em></strong> </p> <p><em>City: history, culture, society </em>is an open access journal. The entirety of the published material is immediately and freely accessible to readers. </p> <p><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International — CC BY-SA 4.0</a> license is applied to all articles published in the Journal. </p> <p><strong><em>Copyright</em></strong> </p> <p>The authors retain copyright to their work and grant the Journal the right of first publication under the terms of </p> <p><em><strong><span class="TextRun Highlight SCXW24998583 BCX8" lang="UK" xml:lang="UK" data-contrast="auto"><span class="SpellingError SCXW24998583 BCX8">Archiving</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW24998583 BCX8" lang="UK" xml:lang="UK" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW24998583 BCX8"> </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW24998583 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":6,"335551620":6,"335559740":276}"> </span></strong></em></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">All issues of the Journal remain available on the website. Published articles are also preserved by the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine in the "<a href="https://bit.ly/3BkcHyL">Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine</a>" section.</span></p> <p><strong>ISSN: 2616-4280</strong><br /><strong>Linking ISSN (ISSN-L): 2616-4280</strong></p> <p> </p>Institute of History of Ukraine NAS Ukraine, Faculty of History of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko Universityen-USCity: History, Culture, Society2616-4280<p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>Editorial
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/239
Tetiana Vodotyka
Copyright (c) 2023 Tetiana Vodotyka
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)57The House on 16B Spaska Street: History and Dating of the Architectural Monument
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/247
<p>The research examines the history and architecture of a residential building erected in the 18th century and completed in the 19th century, located in the centre of Kyiv's Podil district. For the first time, this building garnered the attention of Kyiv experts in 1930, when F. Ernst published an article about it in the guidebook <em>Kyiv</em>. Further studies, which reinvigorated in the late 1970s, included an architectural study and a search for documents in Kyiv archives to shed light on the history of ownership of this building.</p> <p>In the latter half of the 1980s and the early 1990s, Kyiv architects (O. Shevchenko, V. Petrushchenko, I. Malakova, V. Otchenashko, A. Podolskyi, V. Havryliuk), art critics (M. Kadomska, L. Pliashko), and archivists (R. Liakina) conducted extensive research on the structure at 16B Spaska Street. Their investigations led to significant insights into the various construction phases of the building and revealed the names of its owners from the 1780s to 1917, including the Kyiv merchants Sychevski, Usovychi, Khotyanovski, Pokrovski, and Morachevski.</p> <p>From 1989 to 1993, restoration works aimed to restore the original façade of this building, built at several stages: in the 18th century (most of the first floor and cellars), in the first quarter of the 19th century, and at the end of the 19th century (second floors). The completion of these restorations led to the foundation of the Hetmanship Museum at 16B Spaska Street.</p> <p>The precise construction date of this unique example of civil structure in Kyiv remained a subject of debate among scholars. The time of the building's construction is estimated to fall between the late 1780s and the 1790s. We came to such conclusions with the integration of a comprehensive array of historical sources, primarily Ukrainian architectural analogies. After all, this era marked the onset of active civil brick construction in Kyiv's Podil, lasting until the fire of 1811, which destroyed almost all the buildings of this historical city district. The surviving 'stone houses' of Podil, including the building on 16B Spaska Street, today stand as rare architectural and historical treasures, reminiscent of Kyiv's 18th-century civil construction.</p>Olena Popelnytska
Copyright (c) 2023 Олена Попельницька
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)12015110.15407/mics2023.01.120The imperial consciousness of Joseph Brodsky in the representation of Venice (based on the essay «Watermark»)
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/240
<p>Now more than ever, an unbiased, careful, and critical approach to Russian literature is necessary, in particular to that category of literature that critics read as apolitical, since available studies, unfortunately, often do not reflect the real state of affairs, hide facts that do not fit into the traditional imperial cultural mythology, and generally performed within the established ideology.</p> <p>This paper examines the construction of the imperial identity of Joseph Brodsky, a Russian poet, essayist, public intellectual, and Nobel Laureate since 1986. Using the example of the Watermark essay, we analyse one of the signs of imperialism in Brodsky's work, namely the colonial attitude towards women, the motif of the conquest of the city, and the conquest of the woman. The study focuses on the author’s myth of Brodsky and how it correlates with the motif of the conquest of Venice in the «Watermark» essay.</p>Arina Kravchenko
Copyright (c) 2023 Arina Kravchenko
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)92510.15407/mics2023.01.009Decolonial Processes in Modern Ukrainian Literature through the Disclosure of the Soviet Man Image. City Space as One of the Identity-Forming Factors
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/241
<p>A post-colonial approach to literary studies of modern literature, in particular Ukrainian, has gained considerable popularity over the last decade. Clearly, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent attainment of independence have laid the foundation for the development of post-colonial studies in our territory. Injuries inflicted during the long period of colonisation (although not all researchers agree to use this term, noting the absence of a key characteristic of the colony — “a large body of water” is missing) have been understood and reflected both in literature and its researchers. However, currently we are at a stage, when writers are moving beyond the refl ection typical for post-colonial viewpoints, delving into the exploration of logical connections between events and their consequences, examining ways to process these traumas. Therefore, in modern research, the decolonial approach, which emerges as a branch of postcolonial thought, is more relevant. In particular, this is discussed by Agnieszka Matusiak and Tamara Hundorova.<br />Tamara Hundorova identifies a unique form of decolonial aesthetics in Ukrainian literature — aesthesis. This is the manifestation of the unknown, even the opposite of the generally accepted modern concept of “aesthetics” — corporeality, sensuality, and mystical practices. Agnieszka Matusiak observes that modern Ukrainian science and culture have undergone a ‘decolonial turn’ (decolonial-detotalitarian, as she calls this phenomenon, a complete shift in emphasis in discussions about Donbas). Decolonisation is intrinsically linked in Ukrainian realities with de-Sovietization. While at the governmental level, this occurs through changing street names and re-evaluating Soviet political figures, people raised under this system find it challenging to shed an identity formed under vastly different values and conditions. The article aims to showcase the depiction and transformation of the Soviet man in modern Ukrainian literature, illustrating changes that signify a shift towards a decolonial perspective. Also of interest are the aspects of traumatic memory and the identity crisis of characters, invariably linked with the disintegration of the Soviet Union.</p>Diana Pidburtna
Copyright (c) 2023 Діана Підбуртна
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)264810.15407/mics2023.01.026Kyiv Text: The Kitsch Dimension (Based on Bohdan Boychuk's Novel Rozanna Z Nyvok)
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/242
<p>The article delves into the portrayal of the Kyiv text in Bohdan Boychuk's novel <em>Rozanna z Nyvok</em> (Rosanna from Nyvky). Using the theories of Tamara Hundorova, the author of the article correlates the characteristics of a modern "romance" urban text (the Kyiv text in particular) and kitsch, which allows classifying <em>Rozanna z Nyvok</em> within "naive, or unconscious, kitsch," according to Tamara Hundorova. The corresponding manner of Boychuk's text is manifested in the affinity of its form and plot with the romance genre, as well as in the specific method of the author's narration.</p> <p>The paper examines the depiction and subsequent transformations of Kyiv's landscape in <em>Rozanna z Nyvok</em>. In addition, the work outlines the landmarks that are constant in marking urban space. A key finding is the novel's depiction of Kyiv's space as insular, frequently highlighting locales (such as Volodymyrska Hill, nearby areas like St. Sophia's and St. Michael's Cathedrals, and the Golden Gate) that contribute to Kyiv's imagological representation. Notably, the text includes inaccuracies common among those unfamiliar with the city, like wrongly mapped routes and misnamed streets. This aspect ties into both the novel's protagonist and Boychuk's own limited experience living in Kyiv.</p> <p>While preserving the sentiment for the sacred monuments of the city, the novel shifts the focus to the secular. It restructures the narrative space around non-historic sites like restaurants and cafes within various districts. Simultaneously, as the novel's protagonist evolves emotionally, the scope of the Kyiv setting broadens to include more distant locales, such as the vicinity of the Arsenalna metro station and Peremohy Avenue in the Nyvky area. Since the impetus for such a change is the development of the protagonist’s romantic feelings, it becomes evident that the Kyiv space is life-affirming, and leaving it becomes a sign of death or ageing.</p>Daryna Chupat
Copyright (c) 2023 Дарина Чупат
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)495610.15407/mics2023.01.049Trojan Horse of The Cold War: Nowa Huta as the Instrument of Soviet Influence on the Polish People’s Republic
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/243
<p>The article examines the exertion of power by the Soviet Union during the Cold War on the territory of the Polish People's Republic through economic and urban planning mechanisms, exemplified by the construction of Nowa Huta. It specifically delves into the Soviet intervention in the structural reorganisation of both the city and the plant, as well as the consultations between Polish and Soviet experts. The article highlights that the Soviet influence was evident, ranging from adopting the Soviet model of forced industrialization and construction management to the daily control of technological processes in production. The propagandist image of Nowa Huta constantly emphasises its importance as one of the prime symbols of Polish-Soviet friendship and a symbol of peace, aligning with the Cold War rhetoric. Finally, contemporary historiography and collective memory conceptualise the perception of Nowa Huta as a legacy of the Cold War, in particular through its museumification and categorization within the framework of an uncomfortable heritage.</p>Anastasiya Bozhenko
Copyright (c) 2023 Анастасія Боженко
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)587110.15407/mics2023.01.058Reshaping Urban Space as a Management Strategy of Soviet Officials in the 1920s (the Vinnytsia Case)
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/244
<p>With the establishment of Soviet power, the transformation of urban settlements, deemed essential for Sovietizing society, was mandated by communist doctrine. The complexity of the situation stemmed from the fact that urban issues had never been developed by Marxist theorists before, so Soviet functionaries had to invent ways to manage cities on the fly. In the absence of city executive committees, power was vested in provincial/district executive committee officials who relied on simple decision-making tools, constrained by limited time and experience. Reshaping urban space to meet various criteria tailored to specific objectives proved advantageous. The concept of “urban space” encompasses its physical manifestation (territory, buildings, engineering, and transport infrastructure), social manifestation (practices of creating and using physical space, a distinctive urban lifestyle, and social relations), and imaginary manifestation (the image of the city). Prior to the revolution, the understanding of urban space was guided by a functional approach rooted in historical and cultural traditions, whereas the socio-functional viewpoint became predominant under the Soviet government. Extensive reshaping of urban space led to its Sovietization (mainly in its social and imaginary manifestations). This managerial practice is exemplified by Vinnytsia, a city not subjected to the intense experimental pressure experienced by the flagship cities of Soviet industrialization.</p>Tetiana Karoieva
Copyright (c) 2023 Тетяна Кароєва
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)728510.15407/mics2023.01.072“The Other”, Official History, and Memory of the City in Soviet Guidebooks to Chernivtsi
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/245
<p>The paper examines attempts to create new interpretations of the memory and history of Chernivtsi during the Soviet era through the prism of guidebooks and tries to deconstruct it. Guidebooks are considered primarily as textual representations of official policies on reconstructing Chernivtsi's past as valuable narrative sources for understanding how the totalitarian state ideologically dominated this culturally diverse city. A linguistic approach based on the theoretical model of <em>newspeak</em> is applied to the study of publications in order to identify discourses and analyze them. Soviet <em>newspeak</em> in guidebooks functions as a means of constructing narratives and an instrument for their internalization in society. The author also examines the guidebooks in the context of official historical and national policies in the post-Stalin USSR, which, in the case of the annexed territories of the Ukrainian SSR in the aftermath of the Second World War, involved the assimilation of new regions by Ukrainians along with the cleansing and demonization of local “Others.” The ideological framework for these actions included discourses on “Old Russian ethnicity” (<em>davnoruska narodnist</em>) as “a cradle of three brotherly peoples,” “Russian-Ukrainian friendship,” “Great Patriotic War,” and others. The study also seeks to understand the motivations of the guidebooks' authors, drawing on their biographies. It concludes that Soviet guidebooks to Chernivtsi, adhering to the official doctrine, create an exclusive and sanitized image of the city's past, aimed at erasing the history and experiences of the local “Others,” represented primarily by Romanians, Jews, and Germans, who, before the Soviet annexation, were demographically dominant ethnic groups in the city. In specific contexts, markers of “Others” create the illusion of presence and agency; however, the guidebook`s texts mostly ignore the multicultural past of Chernivtsi. Simultaneously, when the “Others” are not excluded from the narrative, their very presence in Chernivtsi's history was mainly interpreted as a hostile phenomenon, a historical mistake, and a consequence of colonial oppression in the city declared by the Soviet authorities to be primordially Ukrainian. As publications aimed at tourists and guests of the city, guidebooks appropriately represent Soviet memorials and objects of the symbolic space of Chernivtsi, through carefully crafted textual interpretations. Tourist guides are regarded as significant sources for researching local memory and history policies.</p>Orest Kostiv
Copyright (c) 2023 Орест Костів
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)8710410.15407/mics2023.01.087Write in the space of the city: a literary walk through modern Kyiv
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/248
Taras Beresiuk
Copyright (c) 2023 Тарас Березюк
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)15315910.15407/mics2023.01.153Entangled Stories of Dnipro
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/249
Denys Shatalov
Copyright (c) 2023 Денис Шаталов
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)16016610.15407/mics2023.01.160Ukrainian Studies in the War Times - for the Peace?
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/250
Tetiana Vodotyka
Copyright (c) 2023 Тетяна Водотика
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)16716910.15407/mics2023.01.167Neo-Union in the Cities of Volhynia (1925–1939)
http://mics.org.ua/journal/index.php/mics/article/view/246
<p>The article aims to analyse the evolution of the Neo-Union in the cities of Volhynia (Lutsk, the centre of voivodeship, and county centres) during the interwar period in Poland. The Vatican designed the Neo-Union as an instrument to integrate the Orthodox inhabitants of the former Russian Empire into the Roman Catholic Church. The study seeks to identify the localities where the Neo-Union spread, as well as its propagators, define the circle of its adherents, establish the origins of each community, highlight their common and distinct characteristics, and discover the fate of urban Neo-Union parishes in Volhynia. Based on archival sources, this study emphasises the unique aspects of the Neo-Union movement's development in the urban settings of Volhynia, which had significant differences compared to the villages of the voivodeship, for the first time. The study materials proved that Neo-Union followers were not present in all county centres of the Volhynian Voivodeship, and even in cities where they resided, establishing a Neo-Union parish was not always feasible. In the cities where the Neo-Union movement formed a parish, its formation and development took place without the inter-confessional conflicts common in rural areas, though challenges were present. Further research prospects aim to expand knowledge about the Neo-Union parishes in the cities of Volhynia, their leaders, and parishioners.</p>Oleksandr Fedchuk
Copyright (c) 2023 Олександр Федчук
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2023-12-152023-12-1515 (1)10611710.15407/mics2023.01.106