«The Call of the Ukraine» (1941–1942): shaping the image of Ukraine in the information space of East Asia

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the attempts of the founders of the Ukrainian newspaper The Call of the Ukraine (Shanghai, 1941-1942) to form the image of Ukraine in the English-speaking information space of East Asia. The article examines the features of the presentation of Ukraine and the Ukrainian idea by the authors of this periodical.
Relevance of the study. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that the Ukrainian foreign-language press, which was published outside the Ukrainian lands in the first half of the 20th century, still remains outside the active scientific discourse. The purpose of the article is to study the content of the newspaper The Call of the Ukraine as a promoter of Ukraine and a presenter of the aspirations and goals of the Ukrainian people in the English-speaking environment of East Asia.
Methodology. In order to study the problem, a set of general scientific and special research methods (historical and bibliographic method, historiographic, comparative, textual analysis, content analysis, etc.).
The results. It was found that the materials published in The Call of the Ukraine were aimed at forming the image of Ukraine as an independent (spiritually, politically, economically) state, as a subject of international relations, and Ukrainians as a self-sufficient nation with a rich historical past in the English-speaking environment of East Asia. The authors of the periodical emphasised the struggle of the Ukrainian nation for independence and the historical mission of the Ukrainian people in Eastern Europe.
Conclusions. The Call of the Ukraine is a short-term Ukrainian press project. The main task of this periodical is to present Ukraine in the English-speaking information field of Shanghai and East Asia in general. The study found that the texts published in the periodical are divided into six conditional groups according to their thematic focus: 1) the system of values of the Ukrainian people and its historical past; 2) political and social relations of Ukrainians with other nations; 3) economic potential of Ukraine; 4) crimes against humanity of the Russian communist regime on the territory of Ukraine; 5) the situation on Ukrainian lands in the realities of the German-Soviet war; 6) life of Ukrainian communities in Harbin and Shanghai. The results obtained are important for further research on the Ukrainian press in China in the first half of the twentieth century.