XV International Scientific and Practical Conference “Southern Ukraine in the Conditions of Global Socio-Cultural Transformations: Issues of Cultural, Ethno-Religious, Ethnic and National-Civic Identity”

On October 2–3, the 15th International Scientific and Practical Conference “Southern Ukraine in the Conditions of Global Socio-Cultural Transformations: Issues of Cultural, Ethno-Religious, Ethnic and National-Civic Identity” was held at the Polytechnic Institute. Since 1995, this conference has established itself as an authoritative platform for the exchange of experience and the establishment of scientific ties between university and academic scientists, museum institutions and national and cultural communities.

The conference promotes cooperation between scientists from Ukrainian higher education institutions, academic institutes (I. F. Kuras Institute of Political and Ethno-National Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, M. V. Ptukha Institute of Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), representatives of government bodies (ZODA), museum institutions (Zaporizhzhia Regional History and Local Lore Museum, Museum of the History of Technical Progress of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic) and national and cultural societies of the Zaporizhzhia region. The Zaporizhzhia Scientific Society named after Yakov Novytsky, whose members are teachers of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and ZMP (Section of Ukrainian Studies).

The study of ethnocultural processes in the South of Ukraine is a dominant problem of the scientific research work of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and ZMP of Zaporizhia Polytechnic.

This year’s scientific event brought together historians, sociologists, philosophers, philologists, political scientists and local historians, who presented the results of their own research and discussed current issues of ethnocultural processes, national identity, language and cultural policy of Ukraine in the context of war and global transformations. A total of 115 papers were submitted, and 128 people directly participated in the conference.

The conference was opened by the first vice-rector of Zaporizhia Polytechnic National University Serhiy Shylo, and the deputy director for scientific work of the I. F. Kuras Institute of Information and Communication Technology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician Oleksandr Maiboroda, delivered a welcoming speech. In order to welcome the conference participants, the head of the project department, Maria Pavlenko, the dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Tetyana Khitrova, and the professor of the Department of Ukrainian Studies and General Language Training, Mykola Dedkov, also joined in.

Leading Ukrainian and foreign scientists spoke at the plenary sessions, including: Heorhiy Shapovalov (Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic National University), Yuriy Nikolayets and Tetyana Bevz (I. F. Kuras Institute of Advanced Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), Nataliia Lazebna, Kateryna Moiseenko, Olena Gural, Olena Voskova (Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg; Ukrainian Free University, Munich), Adam McQuire, Holly Tann (Casus Pax, Great Britain), Mykola Dedkov and Tetyana Khitrova (Zaporizhzhya Polytechnic National University), Ihor Lyman (BDPU), Anatoliy Podolsky, Natalia Kochan, Anastasia Degterenko and Oleksiy Lyashenko (IPiEND named after I. F. Kuras of the NAS of Ukraine), Natalia Zubenko (Zaporizhzhia Regional Museum of History and Local Lore named after Ya. Novitsky).

As part of the conference, students and teachers of the humanitarian and mechanical engineering faculties visited the interactive expositions of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Museum of History and Local Lore named after Ya. P. Novitsky “Unconquered under the Protection”, “War and Independence”.

A meeting was also held with the famous historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Georgy Shapovalov. “Coat of arms of the city of Zaporizhia: imperial or Cossack?”. It was a great opportunity not only to hear thorough historical explanations about the current coat of arms of Zaporizhia, but also to think about how we see our city today and how we want to pass it on to future generations.

The conference once again brought together leading Ukrainian and foreign scientists, experts and researchers who discussed the historical, cultural and social aspects of the development of Ukraine, the role of ethnic and national communities in modern society and the prospects for preserving cultural heritage.

Working together – developing together!