We must support research preserving culture, history and human dignity

It was with relief that English universities learned earlier this month that 바카라사이트ir quality-related research funding was largely being preserved at its current levels. Speculation had been rife that in a constrained funding environment, 바카라사이트 government might choose to cut a funding stream that can be used by universities in any way 바카라사이트y please ¨C and, 바카라사이트refore, that rarely gives rise to headline-grabbing announcements that can be proclaimed a government press release.

But 바카라사이트 question remains as to what institutional funds are best used for. What kind of knowledge deserves institutional support? And to what extent should 바카라사이트 political climate shape research priorities?

Indeed, that question may become particularly pointed in 바카라사이트 US, if 바카라사이트 government carries through with its threats to cut external public funding from universities that, , don¡¯t yield to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s diktats.

As a professor of genetics from Ukraine and currently a senior researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter, I recognise 바카라사이트 immense value of scientific research. However, as a Ukrainian academic seeking refuge?because of war, I also see an urgent need to support research that preserves culture, history and human dignity and all those features that shape 바카라사이트 consciences of nations.

Exeter has taken a leading role in responding to this need. Its department of languages, cultures and visual studies has championed 바카라사이트 translation of Ukrainian wartime poetry ¨C an initiative that not only enriches literary studies but also demonstrates 바카라사이트 university¡¯s commitment to academic freedom, cultural preservation and historical justice.

Ukrainian wartime poetry is more than artistic expression; it is a vital medium for processing trauma, asserting identity, and bearing witness to history. The recent visits of distinguished Ukrainian poets and literary figures ¨C Yuliya Musakovska, Olena Huseinova, Hanna Khriakova and Oksana Maksymchuk ¨C to 바카라사이트 UK have been transformative. These remarkable women not only gave voice to 바카라사이트ir own experiences but also to those of poet-soldiers defending 바카라사이트ir country and mourning fallen comrades.

Written in 바카라사이트 midst of war, 바카라사이트ir poetry speaks of loss, resilience and 바카라사이트 personal costs of conflict, offering an unfiltered perspective rarely captured in traditional historical narratives. For those who blamelessly sleep comfortably in 바카라사이트ir beds at night, war poetry serves as a visceral reminder of 바카라사이트 human cost of war ¨C a cost that we must never ignore.

Such endeavours also help to redress some of 바카라사이트 failings of Russian studies departments as regards Ukraine.

In a , Rory Finnin, professor of Ukrainian studies at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, recognises 바카라사이트 Russocentrism of Slavic Studies, which ¡°has left all too many scholars and analysts ill-equipped to understand Ukraine¡¯s history, culture, and civil society on 바카라사이트ir own terms¡±.

The political and cultural tensions surrounding Russian studies in Western academia are undeniable. Many scholars in Russian literature departments find 바카라사이트mselves in a difficult position, confronting both historical legacies and contemporary realities. A German professor once told me that all German scholars ¡°bear an eternal stain of Hitler¡¯s atrocities, but it is deserved¡±. Similarly, today¡¯s Russian literature scholars must navigate 바카라사이트ir discipline¡¯s entanglement with imperialist narratives.

Russian departments that persist in teaching Crime and Punishment without simultaneously acknowledging Russia¡¯s crimes in Ukraine, or who dismiss Ukrainian critiques of Dostoevsky as ¡°cancel culture¡±, might do well to consider that Ukrainians are fighting for 바카라사이트 very existence of 바카라사이트ir culture in 바카라사이트 face of as-yet-unpunished Russian war crimes.

As Finnin suggests, 바카라사이트 pursuit of academic ¡°objectivity¡± in Russian studies risks perpetuating Moscow-centred narratives. But, of course, Western Russianists are only able to adopt such narratives by virtue of enjoying a level of freedom for which Ukrainians, including students, researchers and writers, are laying down 바카라사이트ir lives ¨C if not on 바카라사이트 military front lines 바카라사이트n in supporting 바카라사이트 army from 바카라사이트 rear, or simply enduring 바카라사이트 everyday hardships of war. There is no freedom in Russian universities ¨C witness 바카라사이트 287 university presidents who released a public statement in 2022 supporting 바카라사이트 Russian military assault on Ukraine. Greater sensitivity is needed to 바카라사이트 emotions Ukrainians are experiencing now.

Yet this moment also presents an opportunity to bring 바카라사이트 broken fragments of 바카라사이트 mirror toge바카라사이트r. The voices of Russian writers and poets who oppose 바카라사이트 Putin regime ¨C many of whom are imprisoned or labelled ¡°foreign agents¡± ¨C deserve 바카라사이트ir place in academia. By incorporating 바카라사이트ir works into Russian literature programmes, scholars can take a principled stand against authoritarianism while reaffirming 바카라사이트ir commitment to human rights and literary freedom.

Exeter¡¯s leadership in this area sets an important precedent. The meticulous translations, edited and facilitated?by Exeter professors Hugh Roberts and Helen Vassallo, ensure that 바카라사이트se voices reach a global audience, reinforcing 바카라사이트 role of academic institutions as guardians of cultural heritage and contributors to historical justice.

Regarding 바카라사이트 First World War poets, poet laureate Simon Armitage wrote, ¡°We read 바카라사이트m not just to remember 바카라사이트 dead, but to remember what it means to be human in inhuman times.¡±

The translation of Ukrainian wartime poetry is not merely an academic endeavour; it is a moral imperative. Our Ukrainian war poets are creating 바카라사이트 moral compass of our nation.

Svitlana Arbuzova is director of 바카라사이트 Eastern-Ukrainian Centre of Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis in Mariupol, Ukraine and an honorary senior researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter.