Ukrainian historian Dr. Tetiana Boriak talks about her research and life in Lithuania
Ukrainian historian Dr Tetiana Boriak came to Lithuania with her two children, fleeing the war. She has been working on modern history topics in her home country, mainly related to Ukrainian history from the early 20th century. After the war broke out and she started working at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University (VU), she expanded her research field. It has also been announced that Dr Boriak's project is among the finalists in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for Ukraine (MSCA4U) competition. More about her historical research at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University, the challenges in Lithuania, and the future research project was shared by the Ukrainian historian Dr. T. Boriak herself.
Research field - Holodomor
The scholar specializes in the history of Modern Times. Her postdoctoral thesis, the second she completed in Lithuania, focused on the oral history of the Holodomor. The Holodomor was the Stalin-induced famine of 1932-1933 that killed at least 3.9 million Ukrainians (around 13% of the population).
"The Soviet Union denied the famine and punished any mention of the Holodomor, which is why people's historical recollections, including so-called oral histories, are very valuable research sources. My research focused on the oral history of the Holodomor, its development, and specific features. I also looked at sources from the Soviet (Russian) state on the mechanism of genocide, on how information warfare is being waged in the denial of the famine, of the memory about it etc." - concludes the historian.
Dr Boriak says that the outbreak of the war broadened her research interests: 'With the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, I expanded my interests to the politics of Russian memory. I began to study how Russia uses historical memory and the humanities in its internal and external policies to justify its imperialism."
Date: September 25–26, 2025 
In spring 1925 the Yidisher visnshaftlekher institut (Yiddish Scientific Institute), known as YIVO, was established in Vilnius. At this time Yiddish was the native language of approximately 11 million people, and Jewish Vilna was world renowned as a center of Yiddish culture. In Eastern Europe, secular Jewish Diaspora Nationalists promoted their own national life in the countries of their residence, creating a new movement that gave rise to a network of innovative cultural institutions. These culminated in the creation of YIVO, which became the center of a global network of scholars and support groups. The efforts to rescue a portion of the institute’s collections during the Holocaust and transfer them to New York was no less of a monumental achievement. While YIVO continues its work today in New York, it remains a symbol of the rich heritage of the Vilna Jewish community.
The Centre for the Study of East European Jewish History at the Vilnius University Department of History, together with The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University, Department of Jewish Studies at Wroclaw University, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Lviv Catholic University invites to the series of Graduate and PhD students’ online Seminars dedicated to Jewish history, culture, heritage and memory in Eastern Europe.
The development of Digital Humanities (DH) is a key trend in modern research. Recognizing its importance, the Faculties of Philology and History at Vilnius University (VU) have submitted a joint project to the LMT competition to upgrade research infrastructure in near future establish a DH laboratory for the two faculties. As a result, new DH tools have been introduced at VU, allowing scholars to analyze historical sources and other materials using modern methods.
A recent study published in Nature: Scientific Reports delves into the adaptive agricultural practices of pre-industrial communities in north-eastern Europe over the past two millennia. The research highlights how significant climatic shifts, coupled with socioeconomic factors, influenced the selection and cultivation of buffer crops to mitigate the risks associated with primary staple crop failures.
Date: 31 January 2025, 3 pm.
The Centre for the Study of East European Jewish History at the Vilnius University Department of History, together with The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University, Department of Jewish Studies at Wroclaw University, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Lviv Catholic University invites MA students currently working on their theses and PhD students to apply and participate in an international online seminar in the field of East European Jewish history and culture. The seminar is open to papers on various topics, chronology, methodology, and approaches in humanities, arts, and social sciences.
On 5 November, 5 pm, the Faculty of History will host a discussion with Dr. Epp Annus (Tallinn University, Ohio State University). The event invites to discuss the arrival of new Anthropocene and eco-social ideas in the field of history and other humanities and social sciences.
The Centre for the Study of East European Jewish History at the Vilnius University Department of History together with The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University, Department of Jewish Studies at Wroclaw University, Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Lviv Catholic University invites to the series of Graduate and PhD students’ online Seminars dedicated to Jewish history, culture, heritage and memory in Eastern Europe.
On 23-27 September, (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre (PAScapes) organised an international summer school "Cultural landscapes: Concrete heritage" for PhD students interested in concrete heritage.
The Faculty of History at Vilnius University introduces ‘Heritage Mondays’ public lecture series initiative and is pleased to invite you to a public lecture by Prof. Dr. Yonca Erkan from the University of Antwerp on September 9th at 17:00. The lecture is titled “The Role of Management Plans: Practices and Lessons in Cultural Heritage Conservation”.
The recent release of Season 2 of “House of the Dragon” has brought us back to the medieval fantasy realm of George Martin’s “Game of Thrones”. Although the series is based on fictional books, the author drew extensively from real medieval history, including the Hundred Years’ War, the Wars of the Roses, and the Crusades. Medieval Lithuania was also not without its share of intriguing moments, one of which was the mysterious death of Karigaila, the brother of Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło) and cousin to Vytautas: he was beheaded in 1390 while defending Vilnius Castle against the Crusaders. Dr Antanas Petrilionis, researcher at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University (VU), has tried to unravel the threads of this murderous story dating back over six centuries.
From 1–5 July, for the second time, Vilnius University (VU) will host the summer school on the “Competition Among Great Powers, and the National State of Lithuania in the First Half of the 20th Century” organised jointly by the VU Faculty of History, the Baltic Geopolitics Network of the Centre for Geopolitics of the University of Cambridge, and the Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania.
Are you already wondering what's next? Graduation can evoke many emotions, from relief and joy to confusion and anxiety.
The (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre (PAScapes) at Vilnius University announces a competition for a long-term research fellowship to carry out the project ‘Cultural Landscapes of (Post)Authoritarian States in the 20th–21st Centuries: Transformations, Models, Environmental Response’.