Interpretation of the Union of Brest of 1596 in the works of contemporary Ukrainian historians

Abstract

Today, within the framework of the formation of modern scientific discourse in historical research, there is an urgent need to rethink, receive, and generalize the experience of studying a few events and facts of Ukrainian history. Particularly relevant are topics that are still the subject of heated discussions and disputes among historians. In this context, the Union of Brest of 1596 is significant as an episode in our history that has long been covered by the ideological layers of Soviet narratives. It is now important to generalize the experience of studying this issue in the works of contemporary Ukrainian researchers. The aim is to summarize and analyze the scientific work of contemporary Ukrainian historians devoted to the Union of Brest of 1596, to trace the general trends in the coverage of this event and their transformation through changes in scientific approaches. Methods – the article uses the historical-comparative method and the principles of historicism and objectivity in research. Using historiographical analysis with periodization and conceptual comparison, the main changes in the methodology and approaches to covering the events of the Union of Brest in 1596 are traced. Results – the scientific achievements of leading contemporary Ukrainian historians studying the Union of Brest of 1596 have been summarized and systematized according to a problem-chronological principle. The main semantic approaches to covering this topic in Ukrainian history have been analyzed and traced. Attention is drawn to the formation of the concept of «Kyiv Christianity» and the corresponding direction in research on the issues raised. Conclusions – the results of the study show that the coverage of the Union of Brest has changed since the early 1990s and up to the present day. While at the beginning of Ukraine’s independence, scholars «returned» this event to the Ukrainian historical space and tried to distance themselves from Soviet narratives, the concept of studying the events of the Union gradually changed through the prism of its understanding as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that played an important role in the formation of Ukrainian identity, a special type of «Kyiv Christianity» and contributed to the integration of the Ukrainian space into the pan-European context.