An international conference “The XXI Century Culture: Researsh, Memorization, Development” organised by the Department of Philosophy, Cultural Studies and Information Services was held.
The event was attended by outstanding scientists from the USA, Italy, Poland, and Bulgaria. Unexpected and quite pleasant was the reaction to the invitation of foreign scientists to the conference, which was indicative of admiration for the wisdom and devotion to his work of the scholars of the Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University.
For example, world-renowned cultural scientist, philosopher, scholar of religion and linguist Prof. Mykhailo Epstein (Emory University, USA) addressed the conference before his lecture: «It is a great honor for me to participate in the conference “Culture in the 21st century”. And I am not exaggerating at all, because culture is something that opposes barbarism, death, savagery, brutality, human degradation. This conference was organized by Ukrainian scientists, and in the 21st century it fell to Ukraine more than any other people to defend culture from barbarism, to defend it on the battlefield, with the lives of the most courageous, most skillful, most worthy of its citizens. This is the case, rather rare in the pampered 21st century, when the fate of culture is decided not only in the work of artists, in the discoveries of scientists, in the disputes of culturologists, but in battle, and the price of the issue is life or death. Therefore, in the community of Ukrainian scientists discussing the fate of culture, one feels as if on a battlefield: these are not abstract conversations, this is a theory confirmed by the practice of struggle, survival, life-building, a practice that, I hope, will move from wartime to peacetime and create foundations for post-war Ukrainian culture. And that means for the culture of the whole world, which has passed here the most difficult of its trials over the past 75 years, after the war against fascism. The stakes are high: if culture survives on this most important of its fronts, then the world has a future. Thank you for this opportunity to be with you in these decisive events of our time».
Dr. Florian Bieber, Professor of Southeast European History and Politics and Director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, (Austria), wrote in response to the invitation: «Thank you for you kind invitation to participate in the conference of your university, whose spirit in the face of such serious threats I admire greatly».
Prof. Danilo Facca, Deputy Director for Science at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology Polish Academy of Sciences was impressed by the organization of International Conference during the war: «Danilo Facca I am full of admiration for the efforts of your colleagues in organizing a conference in such heavy circumstances. It witnesses of the strenght of the Ucrainian scientific community and its moral and intellectual values».
The same admiration was expressed by his colleague, Prof. Maria Golebiewska from the Research Department of Cultural Philosophy of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences «Dear Organizers, I admire the bravery, courage and strength of all Ukrainians, I support your efforts and struggle with all my heart. I send you my warm regards with respect and wishes for the successful end of the war. I cordially thank you for this possibility of presenting my research and scientific reflection».