THE NAME OF LESIA UKRAINKA IN THE UKRAINIAN PUBLIC AND CULTURAL LIFE OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (1949-2023)

Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler,

Vice-President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), Melbourne, Australia

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2026.33.11

 

Abstract: This article explores the socio-historical dimensions and provides an overview of how the name and creative legacy of Lesya Ukrainka have been honoured, institutionalised, and represented within the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia and New Zealand from their early days to the present. Lesya Ukrainka’s name is closely linked to the development and history of Ukrainian women’s organisations, community schools, youth movements, and cultural and artistic initiatives, in which it has served as an enduring symbol of cultural community and collective identification. 

The research aims to analyse the scope and forms of the use of Lesya Ukrainka’s name and legacy as a marker of Ukrainian identity in the public and cultural life of the diaspora. Particular attention is paid to the mechanisms through which the poetess’s memory has been institutionalised, including the naming of organisations and educational institutions, commemorative and artistic events, and the participation of diaspora communities in international and transnational initiatives.

The scholarly novelty of this work lies in presenting the first comprehensive and integrative study of the use of Lesya Ukrainka’s name in the educational and cultural activities of Ukrainian communities in Australia and New Zealand, and in introducing a range of archival and documentary materials into scholarly circulation.

Using interdisciplinary, systemic, comparative, and historical-typological methods, the author identifies key organisations, personalities, and events associated with Lesya Ukrainka, highlighting their cultural, educational, and historical significance. The study concludes that Lesya Ukrainka’s name has become an integral cultural code, contributing to the consolidation of Ukrainian diaspora communities, the intergenerational transmission of cultural memory, and the representation of Ukrainian identity within the multicultural spaces of Australia and New Zealand.

Key words: Australia, New Zealand, Lesya Ukrainka, Ukrainian school, Saturday school, Union of Ukrainian Women, culture.

 

Submitted 01.11.2025

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