THE NATIONAL-POLITICAL ASPECT OF SHEVCHENKO’S WORK IN PUBLIC SPEECHES BY UKRAINIAN PUBLIC FIGURES ON THE PAGES OF GALICIAN PERIODICALS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article focuses on the specific features of the speech genre and its influence on the mass perception of ideas expressed orally. The study highlights the content of speeches delivered on the occasions of Shevchenko anniversaries within the national and political context. The methodological framework is based on general scientific methods – historicism, the problem-chronological approach, the analysis of synchronic and diachronic connections – and also employs an interdisciplinary approach. Public speeches of the early 20-th century had a distinctly patriotic orientation: they proclaimed ideas aimed at shaping Ukrainian national identity, asserting political positions within the contemporary political arena, and preserving the ethnic integrity, rights, and freedoms of Ukrainian society. During the period of Ukrainians’ struggle for statehood and the formation of national self-identification in the European context, the outstanding figure and creative legacy of T. Shevchenko became a significant indicator of the national life of the Ukrainian public. In the publications of prominent public, political, and cultural figures – including S. Baran, I. Kopach, K. Levytskyi, H. Tsehlinskyi, L. Tsegelskyi etc. – issues related to the formation of the national-political movement in the western Ukrainian lands at the beginning of the 20-th century are addressed through the prism of Shevchenko’s life and work. Materials published in Ukrainian periodicals («Ruslan», «Dilo») in the early 20-th century by prominent public, political, and cultural figures demonstrate the significant influence of Shevchenko’s works on the process of national self-awareness among Ukrainians during their struggle for statehood. Accordingly, the phenomenon of the Shevchenko cult is regarded as a reliable ideological platform for the development strategy of both the Ukrainian political elite and the nation, while his creative legacy serves as a powerful instrument of ideological influence on collective and individual consciousness. For the intelligentsia of the early 20-th century, T. Shevchenko symbolized freedom and acted as a guide toward the idea of an independent Ukrainian state. In their speeches, orators emphasized the poet’s interest in historical themes, his fascination with the ideas of the Cyril and Methodius Society, his deep religiosity, and his love for the people, the native language, and Ukraine as a whole.