Reflections on the Archeographic Publishing Series “From the Galagan Archive” 2017—2020

Abstract

The purpose of the review is to identify the informational potential, archeographical culture, and historiographical significance of the modern publication of archival sources of a large volume and extremely representative complex of the manuscript heritage of Hryhorii Pavlovych Galagan. The letters and diary entries of one of the richest landowners of Left Bank Ukraine, a recognized public leader, public figure, and well-known philanthropist included in the threevolume edition of the series “From the Galagan Archive” 2017—2020, vividly represent the inner world and everyday life of the elite layers, opening new horizons in the study of the history of the “long” Ukrainian 19th century.

Algorithms of historiographic and source analysis of archeographic publications, aimed at the set tasks implementation, became methodological guidelines.

The conclusions are based on the fact that the publication of the complex of archival documents by Н. Galagan became an outstanding event in the scientific study of Ukrainian history of the 19th century. It is made at the interdisciplinary intersections of historiography, source studies, and archeography. This is the first comprehensive publication on the history of the national elite in the last century and the first archeographic series devoted to the Ukrainian nobility of the 19th century. Authors and editors M. Budzar and Ye. Kovalov used problem-thematic and background approaches in preparing the publication. This made it possible to present intense family communications (correspondence with friends, wife, mother, and other relatives), intense internal dialogue of a young nobleman (intimate diary), dynamics and interweaving of social, national, and cultural landmarks and identities of Н. Galagan and his environment (travel records and correspondence during long trips abroad). Continuing the traditions of domestic archeography, the authors not only demonstrated a high culture of publishing archival materials. They presented their own research into the historiographical, source-scientific, and concrete-historical potential of the archeographic study of the manuscript heritage of Н. Galagan. Expressing some critical remarks regarding the position of the authors in the interpretation of the published complex, we believe that the appearance of the series “From the Galagan Archive” can significantly influence the modernization of the problem-thematic space of the native historiography, the rethinking of the hierarchy of source priorities in the study of the 19th century. The Galagan series will force a new look at the role of social elites in Ukrainian history and will contribute to the transition of national historiography to the understanding and contextual study of “our” nobility and the problems of social, intellectual, everyday, and emotional history.