On April 11, Dr. Andrey V. Ivanov, associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, delivered the annual Endowed McGaffey Lecture on the UW-Milwaukee campus. The lecture was endowed by Jere D. McGaffey, J.D., Hon.LL.D., eminent Milwaukee attorney and partner emeritus at Foley & Lardner, to bring a speaker to campus once a year, focusing on that year’s most suitable topic in political history.
Ivanov’s talk, “Frontiers of Freedom: Negotiating the Nation in Multi-Ethnic Ukraine,” discussed the role of the country’s ethnic and religious minorities in the past struggles for freedom and independence. Although often overlooked in the current events coverage, Ukraine historically had a rather diverse religious landscape – including Jews, Muslims, and Mennonites, among others – as well as a multi-ethnic topography that included Poles, Roma, Greeks, Bulgarians, and Turkic peoples like Tatars, Nogai and Gagauz. The talk highlighted the coalescence of perspectives of Ukraine’s different ethnic and religious constituencies in the nation’s journey towards independence.
The lecture was delivered at UW-Milwaukee's Student Union building with a Q&A session and reception that followed.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity to share about my native Ukraine with Milwaukee’s public, students and faculty,” said Ivanov. “History offers us lessons to learn from failure, to conquer tragedy, and to attain triumph; studying the history of Ukraine is no exception. It was inspiring to hold a meaningful conversation on the topic. I am also thankful to the UWM History Department, who did a flawless job in organizing and planning this event as well as in publicizing it in the city and beyond.”
"Dr. Ivanov's stunningly comprehensive talk ranged over a long historical period and incorporated diverse populations,” said Dr. Rachel Ida Buff, chair and professor of history at UW-Milwaukee. “The talk attracted a crowd of students, faculty and staff, many of whom lingered afterwards to discuss the issues Dr. Ivanov laid out."
In connection to his talk, Ivanov was interviewed by several media outlets in Milwaukee, including NPR’s “Lake Effect’ program and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.