News

What does it mean to be a scholar when the world you once studied is collapsing around you? What happens to teaching, writing, or reflection when war becomes not just a topic of inquiry, but the very condition of survival? These are the questions animating “In the Thunderstorm of War,” a project that brings together interviews, personal narratives, and public reflections on the role of intellectuals in wartime Ukraine. Rather than offering a definitive answer, the project invites its audiences — in Ukraine and abroad — to sit with the difficulty, to listen, and to reflect. Over the past year,…

As part of the series “Science in Wartime”, held to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the project “In the Thunderstorm of War” was presented in a unique and moving format on 2 March 2025 at the Theater Basel. The event took place as the closing session (Finissage) of the exhibition “Unissued Diplomas”, organized by the University of Basel’s East European Studies program, URIS (Ukrainian Research in Switzerland), and the Ukrainian Association in Basel. What made this event particularly powerful was the involvement of students from the University of Basel, who selected and read aloud excerpts…

In May 2025, a two-day workshop “Ukrainian Scientists and Artists During the War” was held in Berlin. Co-organized by the academic website “Ukraine Moderna,” the event created a platform for Ukrainian scientists and artists to reflect on how the war transformed their professional, ethical, and existential horizons.…

For three years, Russia’s full-scale invasion has continued, and it is crucial to preserve the stories of those whose lives have been forever changed by this war. We invite you to a readings from the project In the Thunderstorm of War – a collection of testimonies from Ukrainians about their experiences of living and resisting in times of war, as the final event of the “Science in War” series, organized by URIS Ukrainian Research in Switzerland and Universität Basel Location: Foyer Public, Theater Basel Date & Time: March 2, 2025, 14:00 Join us to listen to these powerful voices and stand with Ukraine. Event details: https://uris.ch/events/wissenschaft-im-krieg…

The portal “In The Thunderstorm of War” presents interviews with academics from Ukraine who are no longer able to pursue their actual profession due to the Russian war of aggression. “In The Thunderstorm of War” is part of the Ukrainian academic platform “Ukraina Moderna”, which also has an academic journal with the same name. The project, led by Oksana Ovsiiuk, has set itself the objective of recording and preserving the experiences of academics in the wider context of the Ukrainian war experience. The contributions cover a wide range of topics, such as siege situations and persevering in contested locations or the…

23 October 2024, 16.15–18.00. Ethnologisches Seminar, Münsterplatz 19, 4051 Basel…