Ukrainian-born historian Frank Sysyn has received the highest award from the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). The scholar was recognized for his groundbreaking research and outstanding contribution to the development of Ukrainian studies worldwide.
Frank Sysyn is a professor of history and heads the Petro Jacyk Center for Ukrainian Historical Studies at the University of Alberta in Canada. Back in the 1970s, he was at the origins of Ukrainian studies at Harvard University.
The scholar has changed approaches to the study of early modern Ukrainian and Cossack history. One of his most ambitious projects was supervising the English translation of the foundational “History of Ukraine-Rus” by Mykhailo Hrushevsky, which made this chronicle accessible to the world.
In addition, the professor played a key role in promoting Holodomor research in the West.
The organizers of the award also highly appreciated the historian’s talent as a mentor. He educated more than one generation of scholars, encouraging them to consider the Ukrainian past in a broad context alongside neighboring cultures.
Today, Franko Sysyn’s influence is traced in the work of researchers and scientific institutions in North America, Europe, Australia, and Ukraine itself.
