The peculiarities of the advancement of the local history movement in Donechchyna during the russian-ukrainian war (2022–2024)

Abstract

The aim of our article is to present the state of local history work within the Donetsk Regional Local History Organization, the peculiarities of research, and the promotion of knowledge about the native land by local historians of Donetsk region during the current Russian-Ukrainian war.
The relevance of the issue raised in the article is seen as follows: to preserve for history the facts and events concerning the development of the local history movement in Donetsk region in 2022–2024; the generalizations made in the article may serve as experience for future generations of local historians to further improve the forms and methods of their work; the material in this article may be used for educational purposes in institutions of various levels, and will also be useful for scholars, local historians, educators, and journalists.
The issue we address has been discussed to some extent in periodicals and at scientific conferences by individual local historians from Donetsk region, such as Tetiana Lysak, Olena Bazhenova, Ihor Zots, Yevhen Shapovalov, Valentyna Solovar, Ihor Kornatskyi, Serhii Haiduk, and others. However, they usually spoke about the problems and prospects of their own cities or districts, or about their personal achievements. Our goal, on the other hand, is to summarize the development of the local history movement in Donetsk region during more than two years of the current war, involving the active members of the Donetsk Regional Organization of the National Union of Local Historians of Ukraine, and to highlight the forms and methods of their activities during this period.
In writing this article, we used the following sources: materials from congresses and scientific conferences held by the National Union of Local Historians of Ukraine; works of prominent local historians, scientific articles by Donetsk historians, periodicals, and archival materials.
Despite the issues outlined in this article, we see prospects for further research into the local history movement in Donetsk region at different time periods. In future studies, attention should be given to the role of individuals in the movement, the cooperation of local history centers with local communities and authorities, the importance of preparing young people to study the history of their native land, and other related issues.