Scientific and popularization work of Bohdan Barvinskyi during the First world war

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the study is devoted to clarifying the peculiarities of B. Barvinskyi’s scientific popularization activities during the First World War. The methodological basis of the work is an interdisciplinary approach. Particular emphasis is placed on the structural and functional system analysis of historiographical facts and the method of critical analysis of documentary material. The scientific novelty of the article consists in an attempt to comprehensively reconstruct the scientific popularization work of B. Barvinskyi during the Great War. Summarizing the historical and popularizing work of B. Barvinskyi during the First World War, the article has noted his understanding of the responsible mission of the Ukrainian intellectual in times of crisis for his people. Having Intuitively felt the importance of the historical moment for the future fate of Ukrainians, Barvinsky left his usual and comfortable academic work and engaged in cultural and national awareness, which is necessary for the broad sections of the public. The focus of his work was on the issues of national identification that were the most sensitive for Galicians of that time. The scholar urged to abandon the ethnonym “Rusyn”, traditional for the local population, in favor of the more modern national name “Ukrainian”. In this way, the Galician scientist prepared his compatriots for the challenge of national unity, which was put on the agenda by the collapse of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. B. Barvinskyi also focused on the “polonization” of the mentality of Galician Ukrainians, deconstructing the myths of Polish historiography about the cultural dominance of the political rulers of the Eastern Galician lands over the local population. Despite the clear popularizing mission of B. Barvinskyi’s texts, he never compromised academic thoroughness in them in favor of propagandistic expediency. This led to the considerable circulation and authority of the scientist’s works among wide circles of readers. As a result, Galician Ukrainians, educated to a certain extent on his works, gave worthy answers to the challenges of the newest Ukrainian state formation during the Ukrainian revolution.