Bohdan Kordan | University of Saskatchewan (original) (raw)

Papers by Bohdan Kordan

Research paper thumbnail of Memory and Meaning in the Lion City

Nashwaak Review, 2010

Lviv sits not so much on the cusp of a cultural divide as it does between histories: between perc... more Lviv sits not so much on the cusp of a cultural divide as it does between histories: between perceived histories that make claims against a tenacious past and interpretations of a past that resist the march of time. In the struggle over the city's identity, it is a place of contested history.

Research paper thumbnail of Eastern Europe: Ideology, Culture, and the Self

Queen's Quarterly, 1998

Without question, the 1989 Revolution in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union are ... more Without question, the 1989 Revolution in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union are defining moments in world history, capping as they do the great struggle between the various competing ideologies of the twentieth-century: fascism, communism, liberalism. But for liberal ideologues, the result was much more than just that. As proletarians from Riga to Sofia pulled down statues of Lenin and Marx, Western liberals were unqualifying in their verdict: liberalism had emerged triumphant, and the end of history, to borrow Fukuyama's words, was near.

An essay exploring the importance of the liberal idea of 'self' through the work of contemporary East European artists. The essay is adapted from a paper presented at the symposium 'Siting the Self: Some Conversations About Post-Colonial Identity' held in conjunction with the major exhibition 'Reconstructing Identity: Latvian Women Artists' (1996) at Regina's MacKenzie Art Gallery.

Research paper thumbnail of Maidan and the Politics of Change: Meaning, Significance, and Other Questions

East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies, 2016

Responding to a regime that failed to meet the needs of society, the Maidan materialized as a gen... more Responding to a regime that failed to meet the needs of society, the Maidan materialized as a genuine expression of civic resistance and democratic renewal. Placing the individual at the centre of political life not only marks the revitalization of Ukrainian civil society but also serves as a legitimate basis for the transformation of the political order. The Maidan-its values, principles and ethosoffers a framework by which Kyiv might meet the twin challenges of reform and war.

Research paper thumbnail of Cicero Foundation

No Better Friend: Assessing the 'Special' Nature of the Canada-Ukraine Relationship, 2020

A 2020 policy paper discussing the strength of Canada-Ukraine relations from independence to Russ... more A 2020 policy paper discussing the strength of Canada-Ukraine relations from independence to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014. The Cicero Foundation is an independent pro-Atlantic and pro-EU think tank, founded in 1992 in Maastricht at the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. www.cicerofoundation.org The Foundation invites policy-makers and experts in the field to prepare and submit papers to be published as part of the Cicero Foundation's Great Debate Papers Series. The views expressed do not necessarily express the opinion of the Cicero Foundation, but they are considered interesting and thought-provoking enough to be published.

Research paper thumbnail of On Guard for Thee

On Guard For Thee: Canada's Military Training Mission to Ukraine, 2015, 2023

Yavoriv military base, ten kilometres from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Eight of the missiles wer... more Yavoriv military base, ten kilometres from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Eight of the missiles were able to penetrate the meagre air defences, destroying the intended target-the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security. The centre, operating under a long-standing NATO mandate, had provided training for Ukrainian international peacekeeping operations and supported periodic joint NATO-Ukrainian exercises. From 2015-after Russia's war against Ukraine began-until weeks before the February 2022 full-scale invasion, the centre hosted an eight-nation task force, the purpose of which was to increase the defensive capabilities of the Ukrainian military. The Canadian contribution-Canadian Armed Forces Joint Task Force Ukraine or Operation UNIFIERincluded a rotating pool of some 200 Armed Forces personnel. The Canadian mission focused on tactical training delivered to successive groups of approximately 100 Ukrainian service members at QUEEN'S QUARTERLY 130/2 (SUMMER 2023) 203 BOHDAN KORDAN On Guard for Thee Canada' s Military Training Mission to Ukraine, 2015 Canada's military training mission to Ukraine has long since proved its importance and value. From the beginning, the program sought to bolster and enhance Ukraine's defences. However, given the odds, it was unclear at the start of the mission in 2015 whether this was even possible. War artist and journalist Richard Johnson accompanied the Canadian military mission to Ukraine in 2015. Recently, his drawings were exhibited at the University of Saskatchewan's St Thomas More Art Gallery. His illustrations capture the uncertainty of that moment, but also much more.

Research paper thumbnail of No Free Man

McGill-Queen's University Press eBooks, Sep 1, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Friends

McGill-Queen's University Press eBooks, Jan 21, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Canada and the Ukrainian Question, 1939-1945

Canada and the Ukrainian Question, 1939-1945

Research paper thumbnail of Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War

Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War

Research paper thumbnail of A Bare and Impolitic Right

A Bare and Impolitic Right

Research paper thumbnail of Russia’s war against Ukraine: historical narratives, geopolitics, and peace

Canadian Slavonic Papers, 64:2-3, 162-172, 2022

The Russian–Ukrainian relationship has been framed by contrasting and competing historical narrat... more The Russian–Ukrainian relationship has been framed by contrasting and competing historical narratives, which might be characterized as a narrative of empire and colonial rule vs. one of sovereignty and self-determination. Playing a seminal role in identity formation, the Russian imperial narrative looks to the past and the importance of state power in exercising control. Ukraine’s story, aligning itself with European and global developments, projects towards a future based on autonomy and freedom. Although intertwined, the two narratives are incompatible, providing a context for the current conflict. The identity dimension of the conflict renders it intractable, and peace appears elusive. However, by looking to the past, Russia also rejects the trajectory in global history towards – and the logic of a world system committed to – the sanctity of the sovereignty principle. Russia’s war is not simply with Ukraine but with a global community that has disavowed brute force in favour of a rules-based order. Thus, the road to peace is for Russia to reimagine its historical past and discard its mythologized identity so that it might live in concord with its neighbours and even itself.

Research paper thumbnail of 7. “Enemies of Our Country”: Internment in Canada’s Rocky Mountains National Park, 1915–1917

Out of Line, Out of Place

Research paper thumbnail of Russia’s war against Ukraine: historical narratives, geopolitics, and peace

Research paper thumbnail of Enemy aliens, prisoners of war: internment in Canada during the great war

... Anglo-Canadian Migration into the United States and Western Canada, 1880-1920 Randy William W... more ... Anglo-Canadian Migration into the United States and Western Canada, 1880-1920 Randy William Widdis 5 Creating Societies Immigrant Lives in Canada Dirk Hoerder 6 Social Discredit Anti-Semitism, Social Credit, and the Jewish Response Janine Stingel 7 Coalescence of ...

Research paper thumbnail of A Bare and Impolitic Right: Internment and Ukrainian-Canadian Redress

International Journal, 2004

... Page 5. A Bare and Impolitic Right INTERNMENT AND UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN REDRESS Bohdan S. Kordan... more ... Page 5. A Bare and Impolitic Right INTERNMENT AND UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN REDRESS Bohdan S. Kordan and Craig Mahovsky u. .. /^ McGILL-QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY PRESS Montreal & Kingston • London • Ithaca ... 2. Ukrainian Canadians - History. I. Mahovsky, Craig II. ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Predicament of Belonging: The Status of Enemy Aliens in Canada, 1914

Journal of Canadian Studies, 2005

Résumé/Abstract Cet article examine l'internement canadien de sujets d&a... more Résumé/Abstract Cet article examine l'internement canadien de sujets d'un pays ennemi au cours de la Première Guerre mondiale. L'internement de milliers d'étrangers ennemis, qui avaient été invités à immigrer au Canada quelques années auparavant, n'était pas inspiré ...

Research paper thumbnail of Enemy Alien Internment in Ontario’s Northland

Research paper thumbnail of Creating a Landscape: A Geography of Ukrainians in Canada

Research paper thumbnail of Internment in Canada during the Great War

Internment during the First World War, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Friends: Canada-Ukraine Relations from Independence to the Euromaidan

Research paper thumbnail of Memory and Meaning in the Lion City

Nashwaak Review, 2010

Lviv sits not so much on the cusp of a cultural divide as it does between histories: between perc... more Lviv sits not so much on the cusp of a cultural divide as it does between histories: between perceived histories that make claims against a tenacious past and interpretations of a past that resist the march of time. In the struggle over the city's identity, it is a place of contested history.

Research paper thumbnail of Eastern Europe: Ideology, Culture, and the Self

Queen's Quarterly, 1998

Without question, the 1989 Revolution in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union are ... more Without question, the 1989 Revolution in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union are defining moments in world history, capping as they do the great struggle between the various competing ideologies of the twentieth-century: fascism, communism, liberalism. But for liberal ideologues, the result was much more than just that. As proletarians from Riga to Sofia pulled down statues of Lenin and Marx, Western liberals were unqualifying in their verdict: liberalism had emerged triumphant, and the end of history, to borrow Fukuyama's words, was near.

An essay exploring the importance of the liberal idea of 'self' through the work of contemporary East European artists. The essay is adapted from a paper presented at the symposium 'Siting the Self: Some Conversations About Post-Colonial Identity' held in conjunction with the major exhibition 'Reconstructing Identity: Latvian Women Artists' (1996) at Regina's MacKenzie Art Gallery.

Research paper thumbnail of Maidan and the Politics of Change: Meaning, Significance, and Other Questions

East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies, 2016

Responding to a regime that failed to meet the needs of society, the Maidan materialized as a gen... more Responding to a regime that failed to meet the needs of society, the Maidan materialized as a genuine expression of civic resistance and democratic renewal. Placing the individual at the centre of political life not only marks the revitalization of Ukrainian civil society but also serves as a legitimate basis for the transformation of the political order. The Maidan-its values, principles and ethosoffers a framework by which Kyiv might meet the twin challenges of reform and war.

Research paper thumbnail of Cicero Foundation

No Better Friend: Assessing the 'Special' Nature of the Canada-Ukraine Relationship, 2020

A 2020 policy paper discussing the strength of Canada-Ukraine relations from independence to Russ... more A 2020 policy paper discussing the strength of Canada-Ukraine relations from independence to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014. The Cicero Foundation is an independent pro-Atlantic and pro-EU think tank, founded in 1992 in Maastricht at the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. www.cicerofoundation.org The Foundation invites policy-makers and experts in the field to prepare and submit papers to be published as part of the Cicero Foundation's Great Debate Papers Series. The views expressed do not necessarily express the opinion of the Cicero Foundation, but they are considered interesting and thought-provoking enough to be published.

Research paper thumbnail of On Guard for Thee

On Guard For Thee: Canada's Military Training Mission to Ukraine, 2015, 2023

Yavoriv military base, ten kilometres from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Eight of the missiles wer... more Yavoriv military base, ten kilometres from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Eight of the missiles were able to penetrate the meagre air defences, destroying the intended target-the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security. The centre, operating under a long-standing NATO mandate, had provided training for Ukrainian international peacekeeping operations and supported periodic joint NATO-Ukrainian exercises. From 2015-after Russia's war against Ukraine began-until weeks before the February 2022 full-scale invasion, the centre hosted an eight-nation task force, the purpose of which was to increase the defensive capabilities of the Ukrainian military. The Canadian contribution-Canadian Armed Forces Joint Task Force Ukraine or Operation UNIFIERincluded a rotating pool of some 200 Armed Forces personnel. The Canadian mission focused on tactical training delivered to successive groups of approximately 100 Ukrainian service members at QUEEN'S QUARTERLY 130/2 (SUMMER 2023) 203 BOHDAN KORDAN On Guard for Thee Canada' s Military Training Mission to Ukraine, 2015 Canada's military training mission to Ukraine has long since proved its importance and value. From the beginning, the program sought to bolster and enhance Ukraine's defences. However, given the odds, it was unclear at the start of the mission in 2015 whether this was even possible. War artist and journalist Richard Johnson accompanied the Canadian military mission to Ukraine in 2015. Recently, his drawings were exhibited at the University of Saskatchewan's St Thomas More Art Gallery. His illustrations capture the uncertainty of that moment, but also much more.

Research paper thumbnail of No Free Man

McGill-Queen's University Press eBooks, Sep 1, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Friends

McGill-Queen's University Press eBooks, Jan 21, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Canada and the Ukrainian Question, 1939-1945

Canada and the Ukrainian Question, 1939-1945

Research paper thumbnail of Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War

Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War

Research paper thumbnail of A Bare and Impolitic Right

A Bare and Impolitic Right

Research paper thumbnail of Russia’s war against Ukraine: historical narratives, geopolitics, and peace

Canadian Slavonic Papers, 64:2-3, 162-172, 2022

The Russian–Ukrainian relationship has been framed by contrasting and competing historical narrat... more The Russian–Ukrainian relationship has been framed by contrasting and competing historical narratives, which might be characterized as a narrative of empire and colonial rule vs. one of sovereignty and self-determination. Playing a seminal role in identity formation, the Russian imperial narrative looks to the past and the importance of state power in exercising control. Ukraine’s story, aligning itself with European and global developments, projects towards a future based on autonomy and freedom. Although intertwined, the two narratives are incompatible, providing a context for the current conflict. The identity dimension of the conflict renders it intractable, and peace appears elusive. However, by looking to the past, Russia also rejects the trajectory in global history towards – and the logic of a world system committed to – the sanctity of the sovereignty principle. Russia’s war is not simply with Ukraine but with a global community that has disavowed brute force in favour of a rules-based order. Thus, the road to peace is for Russia to reimagine its historical past and discard its mythologized identity so that it might live in concord with its neighbours and even itself.

Research paper thumbnail of 7. “Enemies of Our Country”: Internment in Canada’s Rocky Mountains National Park, 1915–1917

Out of Line, Out of Place

Research paper thumbnail of Russia’s war against Ukraine: historical narratives, geopolitics, and peace

Research paper thumbnail of Enemy aliens, prisoners of war: internment in Canada during the great war

... Anglo-Canadian Migration into the United States and Western Canada, 1880-1920 Randy William W... more ... Anglo-Canadian Migration into the United States and Western Canada, 1880-1920 Randy William Widdis 5 Creating Societies Immigrant Lives in Canada Dirk Hoerder 6 Social Discredit Anti-Semitism, Social Credit, and the Jewish Response Janine Stingel 7 Coalescence of ...

Research paper thumbnail of A Bare and Impolitic Right: Internment and Ukrainian-Canadian Redress

International Journal, 2004

... Page 5. A Bare and Impolitic Right INTERNMENT AND UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN REDRESS Bohdan S. Kordan... more ... Page 5. A Bare and Impolitic Right INTERNMENT AND UKRAINIAN-CANADIAN REDRESS Bohdan S. Kordan and Craig Mahovsky u. .. /^ McGILL-QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY PRESS Montreal & Kingston • London • Ithaca ... 2. Ukrainian Canadians - History. I. Mahovsky, Craig II. ...

Research paper thumbnail of The Predicament of Belonging: The Status of Enemy Aliens in Canada, 1914

Journal of Canadian Studies, 2005

Résumé/Abstract Cet article examine l'internement canadien de sujets d&a... more Résumé/Abstract Cet article examine l'internement canadien de sujets d'un pays ennemi au cours de la Première Guerre mondiale. L'internement de milliers d'étrangers ennemis, qui avaient été invités à immigrer au Canada quelques années auparavant, n'était pas inspiré ...

Research paper thumbnail of Enemy Alien Internment in Ontario’s Northland

Research paper thumbnail of Creating a Landscape: A Geography of Ukrainians in Canada

Research paper thumbnail of Internment in Canada during the Great War

Internment during the First World War, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Strategic Friends: Canada-Ukraine Relations from Independence to the Euromaidan