Yaroslav Hrytsak — A European history: the hidden past of Ukraine

How can Ukraine’s past help explain its place in Europe today? Historian Yaroslav Hrytsak visits Rode Hoed for RAAM’s tenth annual lecture, marking the anniversary of the platform founded in 2016. The evening considers Ukraine through its own historical development and its connections with the wider European world.

Hrytsak is a professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv and the author of Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation. In this lecture, he explores Western influences on Ukrainian society and questions the familiar portrayal of the country primarily as a borderland. The announced themes include sovereignty, civil society and the historical roots of resistance to oppression and imperial power. These form the lecturer’s perspective on how Ukraine’s past can illuminate its present.

After the lecture, NOS journalist Kysia Hekster leads a question-and-answer conversation with Hrytsak. A Ukrainian chamber group provides the musical conclusion; the venue has not yet named the ensemble or published its repertoire.

The programme takes place in English on Friday 27 November 2026 at 20:00, at Rode Hoed, Keizersgracht 102, 1015 CV Amsterdam. Tickets are €15, or €13.50 with a CJP, student card or city pass. Check the venue’s booking page for availability and any booking charges. Doors and the finishing time have not been announced.

Original programme and ticket booking: https://rodehoed.nl/en/calendar/een-europese-geschiedenis-het-verborgen-verleden-van-oekraine/

Further background: https://www.platformraam.nl/artikelen/3131-historicus-jaroslav-hrytsak-verzorgt-jubileumlezing-raam

Image: portrait supplied by Rode Hoed; photographer not identified on the event page.