MATVIY STAKHIV AND THE PROJECT OF THE ENGLISH EDITION OF TEN-VOLUME “HISTORY OF UKRAINE-RUS’” BY MYKHAILO HRUSHEVSKY (1973 – 1977)

Abstract

Matviy Stakhiv in the attempts to translate and publish in English ten-volume “History of Ukraine-Rus’” by M. Hrushevsky. The methodological basis of the research is based on implements that should ensure maximum objectivity and reliability of the obtained scientific results. There are three main groups of scientific knowledge methods: general, general and special, as well as scientific principles (historicism, objectivity, comprehensiveness, continuity). The study is based on the chronological and problematic principle. Taking into account the subject of the study, the following types of comparisons have been used: historical and typological – to analyze various processes with common features and characteristics, and historical genetic to illustrate historical facts in close connection with the historical situation in which they arose. The scientific novelty of the article is an attempt to comprehensively analyze the initiatives of individual representatives of scientific centers of the Ukrainian diaspora to bring to the world, in the language of international communication, ten-volume “History of Ukraine-Rus’” by M. Hrushevsky, which is a kind of “passport” of the Ukrainian people. For the first time, the role and active participation of M. Stakhiv in the attempt to acquaint wide scientific circles of the English-speaking world with this fundamental work on the history of Ukraine have been considered in detail. The Conclusions. The case of translation and publication of ten-volume “History of Ukraine-Rus’ of Hrushevsky” by the Section of History of Ukraine ShSS headed by M. Stakhiv took place at the appropriate level at the initial stage. Qualified translators, professors from American and Canadian universities, who worked with great enthusiasm, were involved in the work. Much effort and energy was given by M. Stakhiv, who at that time was of a respectable age – on November 30, 1975 he turned 80 years old. Owing to the Ukrainian diaspora, a significant financial base was raised for the publication of this fundamental work in English. The whole community, which sought to implement this idea, deeply believed that they were doing some important work to spread the Ukrainian historical science in the English-speaking world. However, at the final stage, the process of publishing the English-language edition of “History of Ukraine-Rus’” by M. Hrushevsky was stopped under the pressure of resistance from some figures of the Ukrainian diaspora for one reason or another.

Key words: M. Stakhiv, M. Hrushevsky, Scientific Shevchenko Society (ShSS), “History of Ukraine-Rus’”, diaspora