Because of the Sun? The Centennial of Taras Shevchenko’s Birth in Kyiv in 1914 and Anationalism in Late Imperial Russia

Abstract:This article explores the extent of Ukrainian and Russian national mobilization in Kyiv during the centennial of Taras Shevchenko’s birth in February 1914. Inspired by recent study on ‘national indifference’, it analyses primary sources, including local newspapers and police reports, to examine the street demonstration protesting the government’s prohibition of the centennial and the ensuing controversy caused by sensationalist reports in right-wing Russian nationalist newspapers. The article argues that although nationalized interpretation was prevalent in the imperial capital, Kyiv’s residents were only weakly nationally mobilized. Finally, it suggests that nationality issues in various locations of late imperial Russia should be studied with a focus on the gap between nationalized discourse and reality on the ground.