Ukrainian literature has long focused on developing and describing the elements of Ukrainian identity. As a stateless nation since the second half of the 18th century, Ukraine has used cultural artefacts, specifically literature, to project and define an image of itself that would galvanize its own people around a common cause and project a positive representation to the outside world. The importance of developing such a cultural image grew even greater after independence, and assumed an existential dimension following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has posed a profound challenge to that identity.

We shall read works of literature that project Ukrainian identity from various periods, but we will concentrate on post-independence and contemporary writing and explore identity in a variety of contexts including ethnicity, language, colonialism, gender, alterity, as well as history and geography. All readings in Ukrainian. A strong reading knowledge of Ukrainian is required.