The haidamaks and Koliyivshchyna in the Polish and Ukrainian historiography. The Polish-Ukrainian duet

Abstract

In the article Polish and Ukrainian historians will analyze scientific achievements of researchers, who in the Polish and Ukrainian historiography occupy a prominent place as regards the haidamak movements and Koliyivshchyna, i.e. Franciszek Rawita-Gawroński, Władysław A. Serczyk, Petr Mirchuk, and Grigorij Hraban. Authors agree with the opinion that the historian does not judge, but tries to understand. The common Polish-Ukrainian research program on the haidamaks and Koliyivshchyna, thanks to which at least necessary queries and a discrepancy report will be developed, remains a main postulate. Only in that way the vivid use of history for current ideology and shaping of young generation will be minimized. Unfortunately, apart from substantive arguments, still there will remain other arguments of ideological or political context. The point is, however, that a discourse on Polish-Ukrainian relations in various epochs should be reduced to a normal scientific discussion that should take into account limitations resulting from cultural imputation only, the fact that has not been preserved on the part of both Ukrainian, and Polish side so far.

Keywords

• haidamaks
• Koliyivshchyna
• Polish historiography
• Ukrainian historiography