THE ROLE OF THE UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION AS A MARKER OF NATIONAL IDENTITY: THE EXPERIENCE OF 1918 AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE PRESENT DAY

Abstract

The article attempts to examine the significance of the language issue through the prism of the activities of active nationalist activists in 1918 and the contemporary student community, whose linguistic self-awareness is a guarantee of Ukraine's subjectivity in the global dimension. Based on an analysis of archival documents from 1918, the article describes the main steps in language policy during the creation of P. Skoropadsky's Ukrainian state and emphasizes the connection between language policy and the steps taken to build a state at the beginning of the 20th century. Examples of support for language policy from many regions of Ukraine at that time are given. There are also examples of the imposition of the “correct language” during the Soviet period and the Ukrainian people's struggle for their language today. It is shown that one of the key roles of any state, and Ukraine in particular, is language as a factor in the formation of national identity, especially in the context of military aggression and the global challenges of today. Its functioning in higher education, where students already have a more conscious choice and understanding, determines not only the level of education and cultural unity of society, but also the level of strengthening of statehood in general. Historical experience is of great importance for strengthening and preserving identity, especially today in times of war. The experience of 1918, when important steps were taken in the field of language and education policy during the reign of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, shows that the language issue is not a secondary or decorative-cultural process, but an important step in the establishment of the state. It was then that the Ukrainian language was first introduced as the language of administrative management, justice, and education. On the initiative of the government, Ukrainian universities, academic institutions, and schools began to be actively established, where the Ukrainian language was established as the basis of the educational process and statehood. Although more than 100 years have passed, the language issue in the process of statehood remains relevant today, especially in Ukraine during the war with the Russian Federation, when our state is undergoing a process of decolonization, including linguistic decolonization. The author draws attention to the lack of systematic monographic studies on this topic, which indicates the need for further research on this issue.