A concept art of light and new growth and the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

2025 Ukrainian Studies Conference

Revolutions of Hope: Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine

March 6-8, 2025
University of Notre Dame

This international and interdisciplinary conference is dedicated to the ethics and politics of hope in contemporary Ukraine. A collaboration between Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute and Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), the conference will address questions such as:

  • How has hope shaped Ukraine since its independence in 1991?

  • How have the hope for peace and the hope for justice been sustained after the Russian aggression against Ukraine in the spring of 2014?

  • How has hope been nurtured since the full-scale invasion in February 2022?

  • What are the connections between resilience and hope; between hope and recovery; and between hope, peace, and justice in the context of Ukraine?

  • What are the contributions of faith traditions to the development of hope in Ukraine?

  • What are current signs of hope in Ukraine?

  • How can Ukrainians embrace a well-founded hope (docta spes)?

  • What is the role of Ukrainian universities and the Ukrainian intellectual tradition in fostering hope?

Hope is an important building block of the moral infrastructure of Ukraine. It is also a crucial aspect of “integral human development,” a normative vision for human societies that is rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and focuses on the dignity and prosperity of the whole human person. What we are witnessing in Ukraine, after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, might be described as “integral human destruction”—the destruction not only of human life, the natural environment, and tangible infrastructure, but also of intangible infrastructure through misinformation, the erosion of trust, and the creation of a climate of terror.

The conference will focus on the positive and corrective response to this destruction, exploring reasons for hope, sources of hope, and the politics and ethics of hope in Ukraine. How is hope powerful or even revolutionary? How does it encourage resilience and recovery? And, above all, how can we build and promote the integral development of hope in Ukraine? The conference will explore the concept, dynamics, and practices of hope through keynote addresses, panel discussions, the arts, and liturgical observances.

A call for proposals is now open for this conference through September 30, 2024.

Call for Proposals