Adam Lord, an adjunct instructor of history and LSUA’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications, has published a history of Ukrainian nationalism. The book offers an approachable look at the role of geography and circumstance in shaping Ukraine’s national destiny.
Lord published Forging a Nation: A History of Ukrainian Nationalism and Russia’s Territorial Claims in Eastern Europe to help readers understand the backstory underpinning the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“Having spent six years studying history and twelve years teaching it,” Lord noted, “I have experience helping others understand the stories of the past. Early last year, as I listened to Putin deliver a wandering misinterpretation of Russian history when he laid out his pretext for invading Ukraine, I knew it was time to help people understand Ukraine and its people.”
The work walks readers through the early history of the Ukrainian people, Russian attempts to undermine their legitimacy, and the rise of socialist sympathizers in the 19th century. The focus of the book hinges on the period from 1848 to 1922, examining the efforts of Ukrainian nationalists in the Austrian and Russian Empires to create an independent Ukrainian state.
Lord, who earned a master’s of art in history at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, concluded, “The story of the Ukrainian nation is as much a story about language and land, religion and regionalism, and mobilization and Marxism as it is about discovering a national identity. Their history began more than 1,000 years ago. I want to tell you their story.”
A book talk and signing, hosted by the Friends of the James C. Bolton Library, will take place at the LSUA library on Thursday, February 16, from 3:30 to 4:30.
Written by LSUA Strategic Communications
Image credit - Adam Lord