From Imperial to National: The Historical Transformation of Kharkiv University Through the Lens of Postcolonial Theory

Purpose. The article aims to analyse the historical transformation of Kharkiv University from the imperial era to the present day through the lens of postcolonial theory, particularly the concepts of Homi Bhabha, demonstrating how the university, founded as an instrument of imperial rule, simultaneously became a space for national resistance and reflection. It examines the impact of Russian/Soviet colonialism on institutional culture, the educational process, and identity formation, and analyses the contemporary processes of decolonisation catalysed by the full-scale war of 2022.


Methodology. The research methodology is based on applying postcolonial theory as an analytical tool to the historical analysis of Kharkiv University's development. Key concepts by Homi Bhabha are employed: the ambivalence of colonial discourse, mimicry as a strategy of imitation that produces difference, hybridity as a result of cultural interaction in the "third space," and "unhomeliness" as a manifestation of cultural dislocation. The specificity of Russian colonialism, aimed at appropriating history and culture, is taken into account.


Scientific Novelty. For the first time in national historiography, the complex history of Kharkiv University throughout the imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods has become the subject of special scientific research, analysed through the systematic application of the theoretical apparatus of postcolonial studies, particularly H. Bhabha's concepts. The ambivalent role of the university as an institution that both transmitted imperial narratives and created space for the formation of national subjectivity is revealed. The current stage of the university's decolonisation is analysed as a multi-level process accelerated by the war.


Conclusions. The historical path of Kharkiv University exemplifies colonial ambivalence, where the imperial project coexisted with the emergence of national resistance. Bhabha's concepts (mimicry, hybridity) effectively explain this dynamic. The specificity of Russian colonialism lay in its aspiration to appropriate Ukrainian culture. The full-scale war of 2022 catalysed decolonisation, which involves systemic changes in curricula, institutional culture, language policy, symbolic space, and international integration, establishing the university as a subject of Ukrainian intellectual independence.