The Imperiia Project: a spatial history of the Russian EmpireMain MenuProjectsDashboardsData CatalogMapStoriesGalleriesGamesWho said history was boring?Teach Our ContentCiting the ProjectKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5The Imperiia Project // Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
12018-03-06T00:47:58-05:00Kharkiv and Vasili Karazin1plain2018-03-06T04:27:10-05:00Vasily Karazin (1773-1842) was a Russian intellectual and founder of Kharkiv University. Karazin was born in the Kharkiv province in the Empire and was educated in St. Petersburg where he was exposed to enlightenment thought. The picture shows a statue of Karazin erected in 1905 to celebrate the centenary of the university. The Kharkov University (using the Ukrainian form of the name) is a symbol of Ukrainian nationalism. It is where the first Ukrainian political party was formed in 1900. Karazin is a symbol of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, which lasted throughout the nineteenth century and began in places of education, such as Kharkiv University. It was here where intellectuals were exposed to European enlightenment ideas of nationalism and identity, which sparked the search for an independent Ukraine. The University inspired intellectuals to return to their Ukrainian roots and search for an identity distinct from Russianness.