The Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Section of Social and Humanitarian Sciences of the NAS of Ukraine, and the Department of Literature, Language, and Art Studies of the NAS of Ukraine, with deep sorrow, announce that on September 16, 2024, a prominent ethnologist and organizer of science, long-time chief executive of the M. T. Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore, and Ethnology of the NAS of Ukraine, executive academic of the Department of Literature, Language, and Art Studies of the NAS of Ukraine, academician of the NAS of Ukraine, Hanna Skrypnyk, has passed away.
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Throughout her life and scientific career, Hanna Skrypnyk was dedicated to the development of national academic humanities and the cultural renaissance of Ukraine. Skrypnyk was endowed with brilliant intellectual abilities, creative and organizational talent, managerial wisdom, and strategic thinking. She represented Ukrainian science in the best possible way both at home and abroad, making an invaluable contribution to the establishment and institutionalization of Ukrainian ethnology and art studies. She skillfully and passionately led the M. T. Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore, and Ethnology of the NAS of Ukraine, fostering its scientific and public recognition. The multifaceted talents and moral virtues of Hanna Skrypnyk served as an example to all and characterized her as a Ukrainian state figure of the highest caliber.
Due to Hanna Skrypnyk’s relentless efforts at the NAS of Ukraine and specifically at the M. T. Rylsky Institute, a strong foundation was laid for the development of relevant research directions, the establishment of scientific schools, and the publication of comprehensive multivolume works, dictionaries, and encyclopedias, as well as cultural heritage publications and scholarly journals. Hanna Skrypnyk’s inspired work and effective management decisions ensured the continuity and sustainability of Ukrainian academic humanities research.
Hanna Skrypnyk was part of Ukraine’s scientific elite. She was the author of over 330 works, including monographs, chapters in collective works, articles in collections of scientific papers, international congresses and symposiums, and more. Skrypnyk was a respected scholar of a wide range of problems related to the historical past and current state of ethnoculture in its regional and interethnic dimensions, the spiritual culture of Ukrainians, ethnocultural identification processes, ethnopsychology, and ethnonational relations, the preservation and study of cultural heritage, ethnographic museology, and the history and theory of Ukrainian and foreign ethnology, as well as Ukrainian-foreign scientific connections. Her works have become important theoretical and methodological foundations not only for ethnology but also for related disciplines, including art studies, museology, and cultural studies.
Under her editorial leadership, numerous multivolume fundamental works were published, including: The History of Ukrainian Art, the folklore-ethnographic material corpus Ethnographic Portrait of Contemporary Ukraine, The History of Decorative Art of Ukraine, The History of Ukrainian Cinema, The History of Ukrainian Theatre, The Ukrainian Music Encyclopedia, The Ukrainian Folklore Encyclopedia, and many others. The scholar also served as the editor of the first and second books of the fourth volume of The History of Ukrainian Culture in five volumes and nine books. Her work on this was recognized with the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology. The scholar was awarded the prestigious title of Honored Science and Technology Figure of Ukraine, and she was also honored with the Order of Princess Olga, 3rd Class.
From 2008 to 2013, Skrypnyk chaired the International Association of Ukrainian Studies and was the head of the Ukrainian Committee of the International Association for the Study and Promotion of Slavic Culture until her final days.
Eternal memory to the beloved Hanna Arkadiivna! May her soul rest in the Kingdom of Heaven!
With deep sorrow, alongside her family, friends, and colleagues, the entire academic community of Ukraine mourns.
We extend our sincerest condolences to all who had the honor of knowing this outstanding scholar and great Ukrainian.
The Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
The Section of Social and Humanitarian Sciences of the NAS of Ukraine
The Department of Literature, Language, and Art Studies of the NAS of Ukraine