Science without borders and memory of Mariupol: MSU Associate Professor made a visit to Sweden
Despite the challenges posed by the war, faculty members of Mariupol State University have not abandoned their academic work. On the contrary, they are finding opportunities for its development, particularly due to the support from European academic communities.
In February, Serhii Pakhomenko, Aassociate Professor of Political Science and International Relations Chair, participated in a research internship at the Center for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) that operates at Södertörn University (Sweden). The research-aimed trip was taken as part of the Scholarship Program for Ukrainian Researchers (URFP) the MSU researcher was selected to on the competitive basis. Over all, two more visits are planned: Swedish as well as Finnish colleagues previously allowed a single three-month long internship to be divided into several short-term ones.
The project Serhii Pakhomenko is working on is concerned with the historical politics of Ukraine and Latvia as well as with propaganda and counter-propaganda. While staying at Södertörn University, he participated in academic seminars, worked with collections available in the library where he had an access to the latest publications and consulted Swedish researchers. Among his first achievements is a article ready for publication in the academic journal “Nationalities Paper” issued by the University of Cambridge.
Söderten University’s history is slightly reminiscent of Mariupol University before its relocation. It is also a young university founded in 1996 with a social mission: to breathe new life into the formerly industrial, and now immigrant, district of Stockholm; to help people from different cultures adapt to life and work in Swedish society; and to stimulate social and economic development. “And, clearly, they have succeeded,
— said Serhii Pakhomenko, MSU Associate Professor.
At the Center for Baltic and East European Studies, the researcher met the Hungarian anthropologist Anna Balash whose research focuses on Mariupol. In 2018 she visited the city, including Mariupol University, to gather sociological material for her project. At that time, her advisor was the university’s professor Bohdan Sliushchynskyi who tragically died as a result of the Russian invasion. Anna Balash is currently preparing a major publication on Mariupol’s landmarks. Together with her, Serhii Pakhomenko screened a documentary film about the city for his Swedish colleagues and led a discussion on its history.
Among other things, the MSU associate professor had the opportunity to visit the Riksdag to see and hear for himself how Swedish parliamentarians work. “To be honest, the debates here are much calmer and even a little bit boring as compared to those my Ukrainian colleagues hold,” he shared his impressions.
