Thesis for a Doctor of Philosophy Degree: Specialty 032 – History and archeology. – National Academy of Management of Culture and Arts, Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Kyiv, 2021.
The dissertation focuses on the study of musical culture of one of the largest areas of the Ukrainian diaspora in North America – the USA and Canada. Not only sociocultural structures and institutions for socialization and adaptation of the Ukrainians in a foreign ethnic environment were formed there, but also authentic cultural forms were reproduced. In the second half of the twentieth century highly professional cultural and artistic works appeared on the basis of those forms. The urgency of understanding the musical culture of the Ukrainian diaspora as a separate art and cultural vector of research in its historical diachrony is argued.
The paper proves that musiсal culture has become an important consolidating factor in preserving Ukrainian ethnic identity and spreading Ukrainian culture abroad. The study of the cultural and musical space of the North American Ukrainian diaspora in the unity of the development dynamics of its components, genre diversity, educational and artistic processes makes it possible to comprehend the evolution of Ukrainian culture as a holistic phenomenon outside the mainland. In the second half of the twentieth century there were the third and fourth waves of emigration, which led to greater professionalization of cultural and artistic heritage of the Ukrainian diaspora. In the early XXI century its modern artistic manifestations already represent creative pursuits on the verge of postmodern intercultural interaction.
It is substantiated that the largest groups of the Ukrainian diaspora are formed in North America, in the USA and Canada, starting from the end of the XIX and especially at the beginning of the XX century. These groups are a separate phenomenon in terms of its genesis and various aspects of development, including cultural and artistic ones, which were determined by objective factors of social, political, economic life of the ethnic Ukrainian community in resettlement countries.
The work reproduces a holistic picture of the evolution of musical culture of the second half of the XX - early XXI century in the Ukrainian diaspora of North America and its interdependence of cultural and historical processes with the mainland Ukrainian culture. It is determined that the culture of the Ukrainian diaspora of the twentieth century, including music, has shown great potential for its existence, as there is a tendency of harmony between the preservation of culture and its development. An important role among the historical factors of these processes is played by the chronological boundaries of «waves of emigration» and different host countries (with their own socio-political, socio-economic and cultural context) of Ukrainians, which differently influenced certain aspects of cultural life.
It is substantiated that an important role in the development of Ukrainian culture outside the authentic ethnic territory was played by the fact that its basic basis is folk culture, which gradually became the foundation for art, literature, professional sciences.
It is determined that the Ukrainian emigrants of the third wave brought the brightest manifestation to the development of musical culture in North America, enriching it genre-thematically and stylistically, which, in turn, expanded the perception of Ukrainian cultural heritage and its folklore component. In fact, it is possible to speak of certain transcultural factors that have become decisive and system-forming in the work of diaspora artists in relation to the formation of the newest foundations for the development of musical culture.
The study found that the cultural development and artistic life of the Ukrainians in the diaspora has an integrative aspect, as it serves as an indicator of interpenetration into another society and another culture, serving as an adaptive tool that flows into a multicultural space.
The musical culture of the North American Ukrainian diaspora, which emerged from social, ecclesiastical and cultural-educational centers, has developed into a powerful layer of amateur and professional musical art. The Ukrainian diaspora in North America has done a great deal to preserve and develop both national culture and world culture in particular. The high level of political and cultural activity of the Ukrainian community in the Western world, recognition of the uniqueness of the national culture of Ukrainians, based on the authentic folklore of the Ukrainian people, give grounds to speak about the high level of Ukrainian musical culture in the world cultural process.
Key words: North American diaspora, musical culture, performance, ethnic identity, non-ethnic environment, cultural and artistic centers, intercultural dialogue.
