Third War of Independence? The Anti-Colonial Dynamics of Ukraine’s Politics of Memory after 2014 on the Example of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv

The article discusses the transformation of Ukraine from a peripheral colony to a European nation-state. It examines changes in the interpretation of UkrainianRussian relations in historiography, public perceptions, and museum exhibitions related to the ongoing war. It demonstrates that since 24 February 2022, Ukraine’s politics of memory has exclusively followed a continuously expanding anti-colonial perspective. The article highlights a shift in Ukrainian society’s view of its past, with growing interest in the country’s history and a move away from the Soviet perspective. Museums are crucial in shaping these narrative changes and fostering Ukrainian national identity. The article also explores societal transformations since 1991, showing an increased identification with the state and a gradual distancing from Russia. This is accompanied by a westward turn in geopolitical orientation and a desire to join the European Union. The National Museum of History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv serves as an example of these processes, reflecting a nuanced portrayal of the war and of its human dimension. The museum’s commitment can be seen as a pillar of a nation-state building project, with symbolic identification shifting from the East to the West, towards the EU and NATO

The Impact of Polish-Ukrainian Cross-Border Contacts for the Mutual Perception of Poles and Ukrainians

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationThe article shows the dynamics of mutual perception of Poles and Ukrainians that occur against the background of growing intensity of Polish-Ukrainian contact, which is especially clearly seen after Poland has joined the European Union. These contacts led to the situation, when the image of Ukrainians in the eyes of the Poles turned warmer and ceased to be as deeply as before rooted in history. Poles noticed some values they share with Ukrainians. The image of Poland and Poles in the eyes of Ukrainians has a lot of very positive elements: Poles are modern, agile and tolerant, and Poland is a country where the authorities care about people and respect their freedom and where there is a rapid economic growth. In the attitudes of Poles there are many inconsistencies and paradoxes: Ukrainian state is assessed as ineff ective and aff ected with corruption, but at the same time Poles would like to see Ukraine as a member of the European Union. In the Polish associations with Ukraine one can see the echo of tragic events of the World War II, but at the same time the Ukrainians are widely accepted in Poland as workers and often do jobs that require a signifi cant level of trust: such as baby sitting, taking care of elderly parents or cleaning up the private apartments. The growing number of immigrants from Ukraine in Poland can, however, lead to confl icts over access to the labour market, which may have broader social eff ect. Migration crisis in Europe contributes also to the growth of hostility towards immigrants in Polish society. This change may also aff ect the Ukrainians

A molecular survey of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato in central-eastern Europe

Central-eastern Europe is an endemic region for cystic echinococcosis where multiple species of intermediate hosts are commonly infected with Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato tapeworms of major medical and veterinary importance. Investigations of the genetic variation of 25 Echinococcus isolates from five countries (Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland) were undertaken using three mitochondrial DNA markers. The 18 isolates from pigs derived from Slovakia and Ukraine and the four human isolates from Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine were identified as E. canadensis G7, whereas the three human isolates from Romania and Hungary were classified as E. granulosus sensu stricto G1. This study reports the first confirmed human case of E. granulosus s.s. in Hungary. The haplotype G7A with two polymorphic sites relative to the most common regional variant of E. canadensis G7 was recorded in both pigs from Ukarine and in a single pig isolate from Slovakia. The results of this study support the circumstantial evidence that E. canadensis G7 with low infectivity for humans is highly prevalent in the northern parts of the region (Poland, Slovakia, forest-steppe zone of Ukraine),while infections with E. granulosus s.s. which are highly infectious for humans are more commonly encountered in Romania and Hungary

Geschichte und Gegenwart in den polnisch-ukrainischen Beziehungen 1989-2023

In den letzten Jahrzehnten intensivierten sich die Kontakte zwischen Polen und Ukrainern, was sich auch auf die Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Staaten niederschlug. Die Ukrainer sahen in Polen zunächst v. a. den wirtschaftlichen Erfolg und ein Muster, wie man Staat und Wohlstand nach dem Kommunismus (wieder)aufbaut. In Polen rückten Kreise der politischen Rechten die gemeinsame Geschichte beider Länder in den Fokus, insbesondere die an der polnischen Zivilbevölkerung von ukrainischen Nationalisten verübten Verbrechen während des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Infolge des russischen Angriffskrieges gegen die Ukraine und der Solidarität Polens mit der Ukraine stiegen die beiderseitigen Sympathiewerte rasant, doch der Deutungskonflikt schwieriger historischer Themen ist dadurch noch nicht gelöst

Immunoproteomics and surfaceomics of the adult tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta

In cestodiasis, mechanical and molecular contact between the parasite and the host activates the immune response of the host and may result in inflammatory processes, leading to ulceration and intestinal dysfunctions. The aim of the present study was to identify antigenic proteins of the adult cestode Hymenolepis diminuta by subjecting the total protein extracts from adult tapeworms to 2DE immunoblotting (two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with immunoblotting) using sera collected from experimentally infected rats. A total of 36 protein spots cross-reacting with the rat sera were identified using LC-MS/MS. As a result, 68 proteins, including certain structural muscle proteins (actin, myosin, and paramyosin) and moonlighters (heat shock proteins, kinases, phosphatases, and glycolytic enzymes) were identified; most of these were predicted to possess binding and/or catalytic activity required in various metabolic and cellular processes, and reported here as potential antigens of the adult cestode for the first time. As several of these antigens can also be found at the cell surface, the surface-associated proteins were extracted and subjected to in-solution digestion for LC-MS/MS identification (surfaceomics). As a result, a total of 76 proteins were identified, from which 31 proteins, based on 2DE immunoblotting, were predicted to be immunogenic. These included structural proteins actin, myosin and tubulin as well as certain moonlighting proteins (heat-shock chaperones) while enzymes with diverse catalytic activities were found as the most dominating group of proteins. In conclusion, the present study shed new light into the complexity of the enteric cestodiasis by showing that the H. diminuta somatic proteins exposed to the host possess immunomodulatory functions, and that the immune response of the host could be stimulated by diverse mechanisms, involving also those triggering protein export via yet unknown pathways.Peer reviewe

Immunoproteomics and Surfaceomics of the Adult Tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta

In cestodiasis, mechanical and molecular contact between the parasite and the host activates the immune response of the host and may result in inflammatory processes, leading to ulceration and intestinal dysfunctions. The aim of the present study was to identify antigenic proteins of the adult cestode Hymenolepis diminuta by subjecting the total protein extracts from adult tapeworms to 2DE immunoblotting (two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with immunoblotting) using sera collected from experimentally infected rats. A total of 36 protein spots cross-reacting with the rat sera were identified using LC-MS/MS. As a result, 68 proteins, including certain structural muscle proteins (actin, myosin, and paramyosin) and moonlighters (heat shock proteins, kinases, phosphatases, and glycolytic enzymes) were identified; most of these were predicted to possess binding and/or catalytic activity required in various metabolic and cellular processes, and reported here as potential antigens of the adult cestode for the first time. As several of these antigens can also be found at the cell surface, the surface-associated proteins were extracted and subjected to in-solution digestion for LC-MS/MS identification (surfaceomics). As a result, a total of 76 proteins were identified, from which 31 proteins, based on 2DE immunoblotting, were predicted to be immunogenic. These included structural proteins actin, myosin and tubulin as well as certain moonlighting proteins (heat-shock chaperones) while enzymes with diverse catalytic activities were found as the most dominating group of proteins. In conclusion, the present study shed new light into the complexity of the enteric cestodiasis by showing that the H. diminuta somatic proteins exposed to the host possess immunomodulatory functions, and that the immune response of the host could be stimulated by diverse mechanisms, involving also those triggering protein export via yet unknown pathways

‘Other’ Posts in ‘Other’ Places: Poland through a Postcolonial Lens?

Postcolonial theory has tended to focus on those spaces where European colonialism has had a territorial and political history. This is unsurprising, as much of the world is in this sense ‘postcolonial’. But not all of it. This article focuses on Poland, often theorised as peripheral to ‘old Europe’, and explores the application of postcolonial analyses to this ‘other’ place. The article draws upon reflections arising from a study of responses to ethnic diversity in Warsaw, Poland. In doing so we conclude that postcolonialism does indeed offer some important insights into understanding Polish attitudes to other nationalities, and yet more work also needs to be done to make the theoretical bridge. In the case of Poland we propose the ‘triple relation’ be the starting point for such work