Viktor Danylenko’s scientific school

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Institute of History of Ukraine of NAS of Ukraine

Department of History of Ukraine inthe second half of the 20th century

Viktor Danylenko's scientific school

Kyiv

Annotation

The article is devoted to the formation and composition of a scientific school for the study of socio-cultural history of Ukraine in the 20th century under the leadership of Viktor Danylenko. It is noted that it began to form in the second half of the 1980s at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and later at the Department of History and Ethnopolitics of the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University.

In the scientific biography of each scholar from certain stages related to his intellectual evolution, areas of professional interests, formal and informal status of a personcan be distinguished. It is on the high level of the latter that, obviously, each researcher expands a circle of his students, and their considerable number and contribution to science allow to confirm existence of a scientific school -- cohorts of students, followers, like-minded people, united by common fields and principles of scientific research. As an informal institution of cooperation of colleagues, a scientific school is a testament to recognition of exceptional merits of a scientist.

As Valeriy Smolii outlined in 2009, there were two contingent periods in the intellectual biography of Danylenko: 1) the late 1970s -- the mid-1990s and 2) the mid-1990s to the present Smolii V.A. Viktor Danylenko: vchenyi i pedahoh. Slovo pro yuviliara // Ukraina XX st.: kultura, ideolohiia, polityka. Zb. st. -- K., 2009. -- Vyp. 15, ch. 1. -- S. 5.. They are conditionally correlated with three aspects of the scientific biography that we have identified.

The first period of Danylenko's academic career was marked by a defence of the candidate and doctoral theses, the appointment of the head of the department, obtaining the academic title of professor etc. His high authority was evidenced by the duties of the secretary of the bureau of the International Association of Ukrainian Studies, the awarding of the honorary title of «Honoured Fellow of Science and Technology of Ukraine» and others. At the same time in the 1980sa scientific school of the historian began to form. Since the mid-1980s colleagues and a headship of the Institute have attested to the scientist's respect and issued him with a «scientific advance» entrusting to lead the training of scientific youth. The first candidate of historical sciences supervised by Danylenko was Serhii Kokin, whose defence took place in 1987 when the scientific advisor of the thesis (being candidate of sciences himself) had no administrative position or influence on the specialized scientific council.

In 1986 at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, where Danylenko worked, a branch of researches on the history of the intelligentsiawas organized, which was engaged in the investigation into pressing issue of the social structure of the Soviet society in the 20th century what was not carefully researched for that moment. In 1991on its basis a department of cultural history of the Ukrainian people appeared, headed by Danylenko. It was the first leading scientific experience of the scientistthe acquisition of which was happening in difficult times both in ideological and material terms. However, in the creative aspect the beginning of the 1990s was favorable for abandoning the Soviet paradigm of Ukrainian history and a searchfor a new source, diversifying the base of historical sources, changing the priorities of research and highlighting socio-cultural processes of the past, finding new methodological approaches and so on. Everything aforementioned was the basis for the department's activities in the 1990s, as well as forcompleting of candidate theses on pressing topics.

The intellectual environment of the Institute in the 1970s and 1980s was very difficult. In the scientific establishment, which belonged to the «presi- dium» in the hierarchy of ideologies, not only devoted to the communism system, strict dogmas, soulless performers worked, but also educated wise teachers who managed to adhere to scientific principles in hard censorship and not to loose the sense of human dignity. Danylenko of ten gratefully mentions his scientific adviser Panteleymon Hudzenko (a man of difficult fate). The latter managed to instill both the primacy of scientific principles of research and bring up positive moral traitsin his graduate students Kovalchuk O.O. Viktor Mykhailovych Danylenko // Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy. 1936-2006. -- K.: Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy, 2006. -- S. 420.. Wise mentors became role models for Danylenko-teacher. As Yuriy Zin'ko and Olha Koliastruk rightly revealed «Working with colleagues and post-graduated students Viktor Mykhailovychis able to listen to their opinions, encourage interesting undertakings, support scientific research, suggest means and ways of solving an issue,unobtrusively, but consistently gravitating to its objective disclosure, warns against groundless and superficial, though at first glance legitimate estimates» Zinko Yu.A., Koliastruk O.A. Naukova shkola Viktora Mykhailovycha Danylenka // Naukovi zapysky Vinnytskoho derzhavnoho pedahohichnoho universytetu im. M. Kotsiubyn- skoho. -- Vyp. 17. Ser: Istoriia: Zbirnyk naukovykh prats / Za zah. red. prof. P.S. Hryhor- chuka. -- Vinnytsia, 2009. -- S. 10..

The second period of Danylenko's academic biography is also rich in professional achievements which were manifested in the form of work in the Expert Council of the High Attestation Commission on Historical Sciences, receivingthe state prize in the field of science and technology named after Mykhailo Serhiyovych Hrushevsky, and electing as corresponding member of NAS of Ukraine and so on. Recognition by the scientific community became apparent in the involvement of specialized scientific councils, editorial boards, successful defenses of graduate and doctoral students.

The subject of the scientific interests of the scholar changed. It happened after the creation of the department of history of Ukraine in the second half of the 20th centuryin 2002 on the basis of the department of the cultural history of the Ukrainian people. There took place a reorientation of both the founder of the school and his followers to the study of social and socio-cultural problems of the history of Ukraine in 1946-1991. He repeatedly emphasized that an anthropocentric point of view on «history from the below» must come to replace the dominant vision «history from above», and in the long run result in their harmonious combination. In a few words we can describe research topics in the department of the post-war period of Stalinismfrom 1946 to 1991 as following: intercultural and interethnical relations, social anomalies, reading habits and public opinion, dynamics of the political awareness and culture of population, social awareness of the population of Ukraine, religiousness of the population, living conditions of the population, material and household situation of the population, moods of the intelligentsia. It looked quite innovative for Ukrainian historiography and it was precisely on the study of these and other aspects of our past that Danylenko directed his students to. The department and the followers of the school were among the first scholars in Ukraine whocontributed to the developmentof a methodology for the social history of Ukraine in the second half of the 20th century at an academic level which not only filled our past with new knowledge, but also helped to bridge the gap between national historiography and European history.

Subsequently, the department consistently moved on to the study on the following historical periods, extrapolating and adjusting these directions or aspects of research to the new historical realities. New interesting topics appeared on English-language historiography of the social history of Ukraine, history of monastic communities, citizens' appeals to the Central Committee of the CPU etc.

In fact, the Institute became the basis for the scientific school of the study of the socio-cultural history of Ukraine in the 20th century. Right here in the creative environment the scientific socialization of Danylenko took place, while an important scientific replacement was being formed under his leadership. Almost two-thirds of researchers into the Ukrainian history in the second half of the 20th century who currently work in the department defended their theses under Danylenko's guidance or advice. The second branch of the scientific school was presented by the Department of History and Ethnopolitics of the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University. The historian began his scientific and pedagogical activity at the National Pedagogical University in 1995, and subsequently lectured courses at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He joined the examination committees of the Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University.

The Department of History and Ethnopolitics of the National Pedagogical Universitywas established by Danylenko in 2005 and was headed by him for 13 years. Despite the priority of educational component in the work of professors, Danylenko's subordinates managed to do researchand defend doctoral theses. In particular these arethe lecturers of his department: Viktor Sharpaty, Iryna Zhylenkova, Olena Podobed, Olha Kazakevych. Doctors of historical sciences, professors Ivan Romanyuk, Zinaida Zaitseva, Olexandr Potylchak, Olha Kolyastruk, Yuriy Telyachy, Serhii Stel'nykovych, Serhii Degtyarev and others have already got their own students. Many of them started their own scientific projects. In particular, the National Educational and Scientific Center for Historical and Biographical Studies (Viktor Danylenko, Viktor Sharpaty) operates at the National Pedagogical University, Dranomanov readings (Olexandr Potylchak), and the Malyshkov readings (Olena Podobed) take place annually. At the Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University under the rule of O. Kolyastruk a permanent All-Ukrainian Seminar «Everyday Life: Visions and Meanings» operates. The followers of the school organize and carry out issues of a number of scientific periodicals, hold annual scientific conferences and «round tables».

In total 21 doctors and 32 candidates of historical sciences were prepared under the guidance and advice of Danylenko who now work in various scientific and educational institutions all over Ukraine. However, not all hisstudents who successfullydefended their candidate and doctorate theses should be automatically included in his school: for various reasons some of the msiezed their scientific work, some lost contact with the supervisor or switched to other scientific methodologies or outlooks etc. Danylenko's scientific school is a community united not only by the fact of writingtheses under his leadership, but also by certain moral principles and life credo. A genuine teacher, such as Danylenko, gives not only knowledge, but also teaches how to live. As Yurii Zin'ko and Olha Kolyastruk rightly noted, «Viktor Danylenko was the creator of a scientific school in the broader meaning than just the direction and methodology of research into social history of Ukraine of the 20th century, it is also about the style and culture of human leadership, contacts and dialogues in the research environment, the very aura of high responsibility which resulted in the best achievements of his students and followers whatshaped them not only as researchers but also as individuals» Zinko Yu.A., Koliastruk O.A. Vkaz. pratsia. -- S. 11..

Socio-cultural history is the mainfield of scholar'sresearch. Though «cultural» history prevailed in the first stage of his scientific career, now it is mainlysocial one Smolii V.A. Vkaz. pratsia. -- S. 5.. The works by Danylenko's followers also concentrate on this area, covering the chronological period from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 21th century. We can distinguish five aspects here: 1) the history of social groups; 2) biographical studies; 3) investigation into the activities of socio-cultural institutions; 4) history of everyday life; 5) studies on socio-religious history. Naturally, the founder of the school made a significant contribution to science in each of these areas of work.

Thus, Danylenko's mature scientific biography includes research onthe history of the Ukrainian intelligentsia (see the bibliographic index hereinafter). His followers continued exploring different categories of intelligentsia. Certainly, the heredity of these studies can be clearly seen incase of the study on the scientific-pedagogical intelligentsiawhich was analyzed by Myhaylo Kuz'menko, Oxana Prokhorenko, and Oxana Bulgakova. Danylenko's research on biographies of prominent figures of Volodymyr Vernads'ky, Semen Smal'- Stots'ky, Volodymyr Durdukivs'ky prompted his followers Vasyl' Shvydky, Olha Sukhobokova, Sviatoslas Yusov, Vasyl' Derevins'ky to undertake biographies of Olexandr Lotots'ky, Nykyfor Grigoriev, Volodymyr Holobuts'ky, Viacheslav Chornovil. The situation in the cultural sphere in the late 19- 20thcenturies and activity of social-scientific and cultural-educational institu- tionswere familiar to the founder of the school dueto his work at the department of the cultural history of the Ukrainian people. It allowed the scientist to direct the scientific interests of the followers to the study of history of higher education (M. Miroshnychenko), Collegium of Pavlo Halagan (Myroslava Smolnits'ka), scientific institutions (Zinaida Zaitseva), museums (Ruslana Man'kovs'ka) etc. The everyday life of the communitywas a relatively new field of the researchwhich was proposed by Danylenko to the department of Ukrainian history in the second half in the 20th century. This topic was chosen for candidate theses by Olena Isaykina, Valeria Michuda, Natalia Khomenko, Viktoria Lysak.The historical studies of the religion as a social phenomenon, which the founder of the school joined, influenced the choice of topics related to the social history of religion by Iryna Danilova, Petro Bondarchuk, Petro Kyrychevs'ky. Many topics of theses by postgraduate and doctoral students are formulated at the intersection of several directions.

Curiously Viktor Sharpaty, Petro Bondarchuk, Iryna Zhylenkova, Olha Kolyastruk, Serhii Stel'nykovych defended both candidate and doctoral theses under Danylenko's guidance. It should be emphasized that in such a «sequence» of doctoral students regarding the choice of a scientific adviser one should not see onlythe factor of their subordination to Danylenko as the head of the departments. Kolyastruk, for instance, represents the Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Stel'nykovych Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University. Danylenko's followers represent various scientific and educational institutions not only of the capital city.

Now the Institute consists of graduates from different universities, representatives of different regions, students of different teachers. Despite the problem-chronological principle of the structure of the Institute, the communication among scientists occurs not only on purely professional topics. Danylenko's intellectual circle includes not only employees of his department, but also like-minded people regarding scientific and socio-political views. It enriches the scientist and provides considerableopportunities for collaboration and search for promising topics, joint projects, promotes objective self-esteem.

The studies by Danylenko's scientific school in the area of the social history of Ukraine in the 20th century are focused on the research into pressing issues of the social history of Ukraine, socio-cultural processes of the 20th century, social history of Soviet Ukraine, including the study of the social policy of the state, the history of different social strata, social changes in Ukraine during the Soviet era, history of everyday life of the society of the USSR and the impactof politics on it, public moods and political behavior of the community, living conditions of the population, socio-religious history, social deviations etc. It is reasonably pointed out in the book «Scientific Schools of National Pedagogical University named after Mykhailo Petrovych Dragomanov» «In the works by V.M. Danylenko and his students and followers on the basis of theoretical and methodological synthesis of history and sociology, the history of Ukrainian society in the 20th century, its transformation, the history of social structures, processes and phenomena are comprehensively analyzed» Sotsialna istoriia Ukrainy XX stolittia // Naukovi shkoly NPU im. M.P. Drahomanova / uklad.: H.I. Volynka, O.S. Padalka, L.L. Makarenko; Za zah. red. V.P. Andrushchenka. -- 2-e vyd., dop. i pererobl. -- K.: NPU im. M.P. Drahomanova, 2009. -- S. 121.. Methodological foundations and research strategies of the school of national-cultural and social processes in the 20th century in Ukraineare mainly related to cultural-anthropological, specific-historical, complex and interdisciplinary approaches. They are organically combined with related disciplines, such as source studies, sociology, political science, psychology and cultural anthropology. scientific cultural danilenko academy

As a community of like-minded people, Danylenko's scientific school implemented a number of research projects. The scientist noted that there was a lack of biographical materials about historians, so he initiated the writing and publication of the biographical guide «Ukrainian historians». Followers of Danylenko's school also formed a matrixfor the co-authors of monographs «Postwar Ukraine: Essays of Social History (second half of 1940s - mid 1950s)», «Social Transformations in Ukraine: Late Stalinism and Khrushchev's time» which reflectedcontemporary developments in the social history of Ukraine in the relevant periods. The organ of the school could be named «Ukraine in the 20thCentury: Culture, Ideology, Politics» which has been issued since 1993, although Danylenko's students publish many works in many other editions.

Obviously, both Danylenko'sthe scientific biography and the formation of his scientific school and its peculiarities requiremuch deeper analysis. Contemporary history as a period of the recent 10 to 20 yearsappears to be extremely challengingfor objective comprehension because of its direct influence on the researchers who study it. However, there is no doubt that the school of study of the socio-cultural history of Ukraine in the 20th century formed by Danylenko occupies influential place in the family of scientific schools of both the Institute and the University. It is a tool not only for scientific training, but also for the humanization, which is its strength and perspective.

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