The 42nd International Regional Studies Conference for Young Scholars took place

On November 29, 2024, the 42nd International Regional Studies Conference for Young Scholars, titled “Traditions and Current Challenges of Regional Studies in Ukraine (Dedicated to the 220th Anniversary of Karazin University),” was held at the School of History of Karazin University.

The Department of Historiography, Source Studies, and Archaeology played a pivotal role in organizing the event. Members of the organizing committee included the department head, Prof. Sergiy Posokhov, Prof. Sergiy Kudelko, Assoc. Prof. Olha Pavlova, and lecturer Olha Vovk.

At the plenary session, the participants were welcomed by the Vice-Rector for Research and Teaching of V.N.Karazin Kharkiv National University, Assoc. Prof. Anton Panteleimonov, who emphasized the significant role of regional studies in scientific research and public life. In his welcome speech, Prof. Sergiy Posokhov, head of the Department of Historiography, Source Studies, and Archaeology, recounted the history of the conference, which was initiated in 1983 by the department’s faculty members. He highlighted the strong traditions of regional studies at Karazin University and acknowledged the contributions of the Honorary Doctor of V.N.Karazin Kharkiv National University, Hero of Ukraine, and Academician Petro Tronko to this field.

The conference hosted over 110 participants representing more than 30 institutions of higher education and research, as well as archives, museums, and educational institutions. Eleven thematic sections were organized, many chaired by faculty members of the department. For example, the section “Theory, Methodology, Historiography, and Source Studies in Regional Studies” was chaired by lecturer Olha Vovk; the section “Archaeology and Regional Studies” was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Valerii Skyrda; the section “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Regions” was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Yevhen Rachkov; the section “Regional Studies through the Lens of Art and Literature” was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Olha Pavlova.

Students from the department demonstrated a high level of preparation. Varvara Zemliana (supervised by Yevhen Rachkov) and Yurii Ustymenko (supervised by Valerii Skyrda) received certificates for the best presentations in their respective sections. Oleksandra Vorobiova (supervised by Olha Pavlova) was awarded the Petro Tronko Prize, while Yehor Yermak (supervised by Yevhen Rachkov) received the Andrii Sliusarskyi Prize. The creative Afanasii Lunyov Prize, in the form of a painting by renowned Kharkiv artist Nina Verbuk, was awarded to Lidiia Kuzmenko (supervised by Olha Pavlova).