Serhiy Kvit

This book comprises a collection of essays that shed light on some of the key humanitarian issues that have emerged in independent Ukraine since the fall of the Soviet Union. With a strong empirical focus, the chapters explore pivotal events such as the 1990 Student Revolution on Granite (referring to the stone of Kyiv’s Independence Square), the 2004 Orange Revolution (named after Viktor Yushchenko’s campaign color), and the 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity (also known as »Euromaidan«). The book examines the evolution of a robust civil society, the emergence of a Ukrainian political nation, and the ultimate achievement of national unity among Ukrainians. These developments are not only analyzed in the context of Ukraineʼs recent state-building successes but are also viewed as a continuation of the countryʼs longstanding national liberation struggle for independence from Russia. Of particular note, the book highlights the ongoing re-evaluation of established stereotypes surrounding the roots of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which the author, Kvit, presents as a clash of civilizational values. These thought-provoking essays by one of Ukraineʼs most prominent political intellectuals will prove valuable not only to those with an interest in Ukraine but also to scholars across a range of disciplines, including mass communications, political science, philosophical hermeneutics, history, and higher education.

Dr. Serhiy Kvit was in 2007-2014 and has been since 2022 the President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine’s oldest higher education institution. He is Professor at the Mohyla School of Journalism, which he founded in 2001 and where he headed its Media Reform Centre promoting open debate and transparent journalism. Kvit was born at Uzhhorod in 1965, grew up in Lviv, and studied journalism at Kyiv in 1986–1991. He obtained doctoral degrees at the Ukrainian Free University of Munich and at National Shevchenko University of Kyiv. Kvit held visiting fellowships at Ohio State University, Stanford University, Washington’s Wilson Center, and the University of Cologne. In 2005–2010, he was Chairman of Ukraine’s Consortium of University Autonomy. In 2014–2016, Kvit was Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine and initiated, among others, the adoption of two key reform laws “On Higher Education” and “On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activity.” In 2019–2022, he headed the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance of Ukraine. Kvit is the author and editor of several books as well as of numerous articles published by, among others, the website University World News.