Berghahn Books Kharkov/Kharkiv: A Borderland Capital

Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second largest city and its former capital. Situated within 40 km of the Ukrainian-Russian border it is one of those East-Central European “liminal” cities which became a center of modernization and pluralization in the borderland area, playing a prominent role in the process of nation building. Volodymyr Kravchenko’s expanded edition of Kharkov/Kharkiv, now in the English-language and including a new chapter on the reconfiguration of the Ukrainian-Russian borderland during and after the watershed Euromaidan event, uniquely uncovers the city’s long history, from the 17th century to today. Addressing issues of regional and national identities, Ukrainian-Russian relations, mental mapping, historical narratives and the ensuing de/reconstruction of national mythologies, this book, fills a unique gap in the literature on Kharkiv. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city located on the Ukrainian-Russian historical borderland, has often been overlooked given its historic role. Kharkov/Kharkov for the first time uncovers the city’s long history, from the 17th century to today, and its process of becoming a borderland and undergoing regional reconfiguration, modernization and development of national mythologies. Autorid: Volodymyr Kravchenko