Yaroslav Hrytsak is one of Ukraine’s leading historians and public intellectuals, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University. He is the author of numerous scholarly works on modern Ukrainian history, including Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, in which he explores the formation of the Ukrainian nation within a broader European historical context. His work is widely referenced in academic and public debates on history, identity, and Ukraine’s place in Europe.
These events offer a rare opportunity to engage in an in-depth conversation on Ukrainian history, European identity, and Ukraine’s future in Europe with one of the most respected Ukrainian intellectuals of our time.
Events:
🏫 De Balie De Balie
📍 Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 1017 RR Amsterdam
📆 26 January, 20:30 (doors open at 19:00)
How do you forge a nation?
A public conversation on how nations emerge, why claims of a “single Russian–Ukrainian people” fail historical scrutiny, and how centuries of colonial pressure did not erase Ukrainian identity.
The discussion will also feature historian and author Ivo van de Wijdeven
Moderator: Yoeri Albrecht
Tickets: https://debalie.nl/programma/yaroslav-hrytsak-the-forging-of-a-nation-26-01-2026/
🏫 Leiden University Leiden University
📍 Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ Leiden
📆 26 January, 11:15
Free admission
Ukrainian Nation-Building in the Past and the Present
A public conversation with Yaroslav Hrytsak on Ukrainian nation-building in historical and contemporary perspective, conducted as an interview by Karel Berkhoff, Professor of the History of Ukraine in the Twentieth Century and Senior Researcher at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
The meeting will be moderated by Eric Storm, Senior Lecturer in European History and author of Nationalism: A World History (2024).
Registration https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/events/2026/01/lunn-jan-2026-forum-ukrainian-nation-building-in-the-past-and-the-present
🏫 Maastricht University Maastricht University
📍 Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 22a, 6211 HE Maastricht
📆 27 January, 15:30–17:00
Why Ukraine is a European country
A lecture and discussion on Ukraine’s historical, cultural, and value-based connections to Europe—beyond purely geopolitical arguments.
Participants include Ferenc Laczó (Maastricht University) and members of the Ukrainian community in Limburg.
Followed by Q&A and informal conversation.
Registration https://studioeuropamaastricht.nl/nl/event/why-ukraine-is-a-european-country-a-conversation-with-historian-yaroslav-hrytsak
🏫 The Hague University of Applied Sciences De Haagse Hogeschool / The Hague University of Applied Sciences
📍 Johanna Westerdijkplein 75, 2521 EN The Hague
📆 28 January, 15:00
Registration required
Why Ukraine Matters: History, Identity and Europe
A conversation with Professor Yaroslav Hrytsak on how history and identity shape Ukraine’s place in Europe today.
Drawing on Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation, he explains how the legacy of empires and resistance helps make sense of contemporary debates on democracy, European values, and geopolitics.
The event will conclude with a Q&A session.
Registration https://www.thuas.com/about-thuas/lighthouse/why-ukraine-matters-history-identity-and-europe