The newly appointed Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Dominique Arel recently gave his inaugural lecture entitled “Ukraine: A Return to Europe?”
According to Arel, Ukraine’s “quest” for Europe, which has been ongoing for more than 10 years since the fall of communism, has turned into a difficult, if not painful, endeavour. “Ukrainians who are orienting themselves toward Europe wish to end their isolation, the provincialism that the imperial Russian and Soviet states reduced them to,” he said.
At the same time, many Ukrainians“have often felt that their desire to join is not entirely welcome,” he said. “The almost mythical idea of Europe clashes with the reality of a protectionist Europe.”
In introducing the Chair, Arel emphasized that it is the first research unit in Ukrainian studies in North America and anywhere outside of Ukraine to be oriented toward social sciences. The decision to orient the Chair towards research on contemporary issues is a timely one that is likely to foster even more growth, Arel maintained.
Born in Montreal, Arel studied political science in Illinois, taught at McGill, Wesleyan, Brown, and Yale and was a member of the research faculty at the Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies at Brown University between 1996-2003. His research has focused on the politics of language and national identity.
