HARVARD UKRAINIAN STUDIES - See also - Harvard University

DOCUMENTSThe Ukrainian University in Galicia:A Pervasive IssueMARTHA BOHACHEVSKY-CHOMIAKBefore 1918, the Ukrainians in Galicia, the majority population in theeastern half of the province, then part of the Habsburg Monarchy,attained a number of political and cultural rights. Among them was theestablishment of schools with instruction in the Ukrainian language.After the World War and the collapse of the monarchy, GalicianUkrainians, like other nationalities of the former empire, tried toestablish a politically independent national state. When this failed,they sought to preserve their national rights from encroachments bythe central government in Warsaw and the local Polish administration.The struggle for a Ukrainian university became a dramatic episodein the cultural and political life of Galician Ukrainians. It spannedboth eras and transcended academic considerations. A university withUkrainian as the language of instruction would have assured Ukrainiansa natively educated intelligentsia and provided means for socialmobility and economic advancement. But Polish control of educationand the openly discriminatory policies of the post-1918 Polish governmentgave the issue a political cast which proved decisive.National differences in Galicia were accentuated by a dedication tohistorical study and a penchant for the celebration of historical anniversaries.The duration of the battle for a Ukrainian university, whichlasted over half a century, made it a popular legend as well as apolitical issue. The university already existing in Lviv became a boneof contention between the Ukrainians and the Poles. Some Polesargued that the Ukrainians had no right to the university at all, since itwent back to the Polish Jesuit College founded in 1661 (abolished in1763). The Ukrainians traced the history of the university to its