Problems with the history of Southern Slavs in the Slavic studies of Ukrainian scientists of Eastern Galicia during the 19th century

Abstract

The article analyzes the scientific heritage of Ukrainian scientists of Eastern Galicia in the 19th century on current issues with the history of South Slavic peoples. Its content, topics and methodology in the context of the development of national Slavonic studies are described. Special studies on the history of Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro are analyzed. The most comprehensive of these studies are the scientific investigations of Denys Zubrytsky: Statement about Montenegro People; and Jakyw Holovatsky: Types of Slavic Peoples. Bulgarians, On the Transdanubian Slavs living on the Balkan Peninsula, Greater Croatia or Galician-Carpathian Rus. The content and problems of these studies give ground to claims that Galician scholars have a weak, sporadic knowledge of these peoples compared to the history of the Western Slavs. In spite of this, the questions raised by the scholars on: the peculiarities of the introduction of Christianity by Cyril and Methodius in Bulgaria; cultural, national, religious policy of the Ottoman Empire towards the Southern Slavs; the liberation movement of Bulgarians, Serbs, Montenegrins in the 19th century, etc.; testify to the scientific interest of scholars of Eastern Galicia in the Southern Slavs. At the same time, the interpretation of their history was of a civilizational nature and reflected the general trends in the development of Ukrainian historical Slavic studies in the 19th century.