香港六合彩中特网

What brought to you work at SSEES?

I was drawn to SSEES by its renowned reputation and vibrant academic community. SSEES also boasts a rich library and research resources that provide an invaluable foundation for scholarly exploration. What is more, my previous research affiliations at Stanford University and the Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, revealed to me the significance of viewing Ukrainian Studies within a broader, entangled framework. SSEES also offers an environment that encourages such interdisciplinary perspectives. I am truly thankful for this opportunity. I am enthusiastic about the possibility of contributing and bringing unique perspectives offered in Translation Studies to SSEES, and I am willing to collaborate with colleagues who share similar interests and passions in this field.

If you weren鈥檛 working in academia, what would be your dream job?

If academia weren't my chosen path, I'd probably be living out my childhood dream of working for the diplomatic sector and being an ambassador for Ukraine. I've always had a flair for cultural diplomacy. When I was 15, I became an exchange student in a US high school participating in the American Councils for an International Education programme, supported by the US Department of State. Hardly anyone in my class knew about Ukraine and viewed it through a Soviet lens, so it was then that I realised the pivotal role diplomacy would play.

Can you tell us a bit about your research/teaching and why it鈥檚 important to study this?

My research interests fall into the broad area of Ukrainian, Slavic, Translation and Culture studies. Currently at SSEES, I am working on two research projects:

1. 鈥淭he Displaced Self: European Translation Zones and the Experience of Ukrainian DPs in the post-WWII era鈥� and
2. 鈥淯krainian Literature in Anglophone Translation: Sociopolitical and Imagological Positioning鈥�.

The first project initiates the discussion on the role and experience of translation in the zones of Ukrainian DPs that existed in the years 1945-1954 in postwar Europe, predominantly in Germany and Austria. I know that history is too intricate to give simple lessons, but looking backward at times helps in understanding the complexities of the present. Generally, much has been written about the political, social, and humanitarian aspects of the DP world following the end of WWII, yet the 鈥楧P story鈥� was predominantly premised on the analysis of the post-war refugee communities in their national 鈥榮olitudes鈥� (Polish, Lithuanian, Estonian, or Ukrainian). Building upon the existing scholarship and viewing it as a point of departure, my project opens another avenue of investigation 鈥� foregrounding an alternative, contact-driven vision of Ukrainian DP camps, focusing on interaction, encounter, and contestation through translation. Insofar as no DP camp was ever a purely monolingual site, language traffic was a key element of the DPs public life, yet these larger webs of connectivity through translation have been taken for granted or viewed only partially in much research on their lifeworld. Incorporated into broader societal and cultural projects, translation for DPs exceeded the conventional understanding of language transfer, infusing many aspects of their life and becoming a condition of living. Languages did not simply co-exist, they entered networks of human relations and materialised the terms of interaction. Therefore, translation itself became a space of negotiation and reshaped the power dynamics becoming a gesture of hostility and hospitality, tension and dialogue, neglect and reciprocity in the world of DPs after the end of WWII. Through the study of translations, I argue it is possible to perceive larger structures behind them: translation serves here not only as the object of analysis but also as an illuminating lens through which the political and cultural DP history is researched. By offering a shift of perspective from positioning communities of Ukrainian DPs as 鈥榥ational enclaves鈥� to opening out their complexity as new social areas connected to manifold individualities, cultures and languages, the study revolves around one central question: How did translation 鈥榚mplace鈥� the displaced and legitimate the Ukrainian culture and language inside foreign ones?

My second project is the first comprehensive study of the sociocultural portrayal and transnational positioning of Ukrainian literature through the medium of English-language translation from the early 19^th century (namely, from the first-ever collection containing Ukrainian texts compiled by Benjamin Beresford, Russian Troubadour, or A Collection of Ukrainian and other National Melodies (1816)) to the present day. By scrutinising and contextualising an extensive corpus of translated works, I try to showcase the intricate dynamics of how Ukrainian literature has been perceived, received, and discursively presented within the Anglophone sphere. Furthermore, by positing the relevance of decolonial analytics in the studies within cultural history, which involves 鈥渄elinking ourselves from the structures of knowledge imposed and reconstituting other ways of thinking and speaking鈥� (Walsh, Ch., Mignolo W. 2018), my project presents that English translations have served both as lost keys, perpetuating a colonial legacy, and as open doors, ushering in opportunities for the decolonised expression of the Ukrainian narrative. As there is a notable lack of comprehensive investigations into Anglo-Ukrainian cultural relations, and considering that building trust and reciprocity has never been more critical, this research stands as a pioneering endeavor. Integrating the perspectives of the sociology of translation and cultural history, alongside methodological premises of imagology and reception studies, to critically examine prevailing norms and inherent power differentials, I believe that this project offers an innovative cultural history of Ukrainian literature in dialogue with the Anglo-American audience.

Outside of work, how do you unwind?

Apart from my work commitments, I love spending time with my sons. We often unwind by traveling to different English towns and immersing ourselves in their local culture. Exploring new places together and learning about their history and traditions brings us closer and helps us create lasting memories. Also, we have a lot of fun playing board games together and doing sports.

If you could recommend only one book, what would it be?

Choosing just one book to recommend is quite challenging, but if I had to pick, I would suggest Intermezzo by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky. It is a captivating work by one of Ukraine's most talented modernist writers, filled with deep insights into the human experience.

Who has been the greatest source of inspiration to you, and how have they impacted you, personally or professionally?聽

My mother has always been my greatest source of inspiration. She succeeded scientifically in the field of physics, being the only woman back in the 1980s to defend her PhD in physics at her university and become affiliated with the Physics Department. She taught me the value of perseverance, dedication, and the importance of finding a smart balance between work and personal life.

Tell us聽something about you that might surprise people.

When people inquire about my journey into academia, they are often taken aback to learn that I was once a Junior Champion of Ukraine in ballroom dancing and could have a promising future in this sport. It tends to be quite an unexpected twist for them.