[URBANTH-L]Ukrainian Ethnologist Seeks Host Institution for Fulbright

[Angela Jancius]

[EDITOR's NOTE: The below query was sent to SUNTA's secretary, Elzbieta 
Gozdziak, from a Ukrainian scholar who is developing an urban 
anthropology program and is seeking institutional affiliation for a 
quickly approaching Fulbright application deadline. -AJ]


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I am writing to you because I am aware that you have expertise in the 
field of urban anthropology, an area of study that is of particular 
interest to me.  My name is Viktor Pylypenko and I am an Associate 
Professor of Ethnology in the History Department of Taras Shevchenko 
Kyiv National University in Ukraine.

My current research lies in the field of urban anthropology. I am 
studying contemporary urban culture in Ukrainian cities, as they relate 
to developments in other Eastern and Western European countries. I have 
been conducting research in this area for the past year, and have 
ascertained that my work would greatly benefit from exposure to the 
scholarship and methodologies of American colleagues. For this reason, I 
am applying for the Advanced Research Fulbright Scholar Program, for the 
opportunity to conduct research at a leading university library and to 
become acquainted with urban anthropologists in the United States.  For 
the 2005-06 academic year the application deadline is at the end of 
October 2004.

In addition to my own research interests, my objective for the 
fellowship year is to develop a course in urban anthropology for my 
department at Kyiv University.  The goal is not only to introduce a new 
field of study within Kyiv University's History Department, but also to 
expose students to Western scholarship in this field. To date, Kyiv 
University has not offered a course on this subject.  Urban anthropology 
was not a part of the Soviet curriculum, and there are no qualified 
lecturers or researchers in the field. Furthermore, since urban 
anthropology was not an active field of research, libraries have only 
limited holdings. The course I am developing will focus on both the 
theory and practice of urban anthropology. It will introduce students to 
methodologies employed by urban anthropologists, and to the logistics of 
conducting research in an urban setting.  An important aspect of the 
course will also be to give relevance in our curriculum to contemporary 
urban issues.

One of the criterion of the Fulbright Scholars Program is to have 
affiliation with a U.S. university.  As far as I understand such an 
affiliation would give me the opportunity to use the library facilities 
of your institution, to sit in on lectures, and to interact with 
colleagues.  I would very much appreciate if you could extend such an 
affiliation to me for the 2005-2006 academic year.  I would be glad to 
send you any additional information or documentation that you may 
require to make your decision.

I would appreciate your timely response.

Sincerely,
Viktor Pylypenko
Assistant Professor of Ethnology
Department of History
Taras Shevchenko Kyiv State University