Description: Laboratory of Modernity is a history of Ukraine during the long nineteenth century, providing a unique study of its pluralistic society, culture, and political scene. In this first comprehensive study of nineteenth-century Ukraine in English, Serhiy Bilenky traces the historical origins of some of the pressing issues facing Ukraine and the international community today.
Brief description: Serhiy Bilenky is a research associate at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta.
Review Quotes: "This is a monumental work of conceptualization and synthesis. Through a series of thematic essays, Bilenky paints a picture of the intellectual, social, economic, and political life of Ukrainians on both sides of the Russian/Austrian border in the long nineteenth century. Laboratory of Modernity should be compulsory reading for everyone interested in the study of empire and nationality in Russian history." Heather Coleman, University of Alberta and editor of Orthodox Christianity in Imperial Russia: A Source Book on Lived Religion