HISTORIOSOPHY OF THE LEGAL FOUNDATION OF THE ACTIVITIES VOLYN’S NATIONAL AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS 1921–1939 (HISRORIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW)

Abstract

The article reviews the historiography of the legal basis of the activities of cultural and educational organizations in Volyn in the period 1921–1939. Western Ukrainian lands, namely Volyn and Eastern Galicia, were included in Poland in the interwar period. The historiography of the legal basis of the activity of national and cultural organizations in Volyn 1921–1939 provides an opportunity to show their significant role in shaping the worldview and self-identification of Ukrainians in the region. First of all, it is “Prosvita”, whose activities are studied by both foreign and domestic scientists. S. Persky was one of the first researchers of Prosvita’s activity, who considered its main virtue to be apolitical. V. Doroshenko, one of the leaders of the enlightenment movement, defines the main directions and goals of the society’s activities. He believes that it is “Prosvita” that contributes to Ukrainians’ national awareness of the realization of the idea of their own state formation. Analyzing the scientific developments of the period of independence, the authors came to the conclusion that it was during this period that an in-depth study of the contribution of “Prosvita” to the formation of the national self-identification of Western Ukrainians began. The evolutionism of the Prosvita’s movement (B. Savchuk, L. Yevselevskyi, Zh. Kovb) and its diversity, which is manifested in the formation of peculiar “subsidiary” organizations and societies (“Ridna shkola”, “Ridna hata”, “Osnova”, “Svitlo”, “Iunist”). Educational departments have always “cooperated” in their activities with the Union of Ukrainian Women, pedagogical, theater and art societies. A significant role in the enlightenment movement was given to work with young people, who at that time were being trained for a conscious struggle for national statehood (the works of B. Savchuk, G. Buhalo, V. Borovsky, V. Maksymov). The authors came to the conclusion that the study of this problem provides an opportunity to form the main ideological and legal foundations of the activity of modern national and cultural organizations and societies in the conditions of the war of modern Moscow against Ukraine.