THE PROBLEM OF NAMING OF BELARUSIAN AND UKRAINIAN LANDSWITHIN POLAND (1921—1939) IN MODERN BELARUSIANAND UKRAINIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY

Abstract

The objective is to identify the main variants of the name of the territory of compact residence of Belarusians and Ukrainians within Poland in the 20—30s of the XX century in modern Belarusian and Ukrainian historiography. Based on the study of Belarusian, Polish and Ukrainian historiography with the use of a comparative method, the author examines the modern scientific discussion around the definition of the concepts of “Western Belarus” and “Western Ukraine”.

In modern Belarusian historiography the term “Western Belarus” has a stable meaning and means the Belarusian territories that were part of Poland from 1921 to 1939. Polish historiography rejects the terms “Western Belarus” and “Western Ukraine”. In Ukrainian historiography, the term “Western Ukraine” was used mainly in the Soviet era; in modern historical science, this term is not stable for an unambiguous definition of Ukrainian lands within Poland. Ukrainian scientists more often use traditional historical and geographical names of Eastern Galicia, Western Volyn, Kholmshchyna, Podlasie, Polesie.

Ref.: 22 titles.