Seton Hall and Borys Grinchenko University Publish New Issue of International Journal

Seton Hall University and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University have published the seventh issue of the Young Scholars Grinchenko – Seton International Journal, continuing a scholarly partnership that brings together student research from the United States and Ukraine.

Published in English, the international electronic journal provides undergraduate students, graduate students and young scholars with an opportunity to share research on critical issues in history, education, politics and society. The collaboration between Seton Hall and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University dates to 2008, with the journal itself established in 2020 as another avenue for students at both institutions to exchange ideas and present their scholarship to an international audience.

The partnership has continued despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. “The war has not stopped the work between Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University and Seton Hall University. This electronic journal is part of that work,” said James K. Daly, Ed.D., professor in the Department of Educational Studies. “Once again, students from both institutions have shared their views and opinions in the articles that appear in this edition.”

The newest issue includes sections devoted to young American and Ukrainian scholars. Seton Hall students examine democracy and freedom from historical and contemporary perspectives, including democratic resilience, political inequality, youth engagement, disinformation, transparency, conflict-related sexual violence, historical memory and struggles for freedom in Ukraine, the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

The Ukrainian section includes scholarship presented during the 14th All-Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Conference of Young Scholars with International Participation, “Ukrainian Past: Wars for Identity and Independence,” held virtually in April 2026. Seton Hall co-hosted the conference, where Ukrainian and American students presented research together in a session focused on the international dimensions of democracy and security.

For Seton Hall students, publication provides an opportunity to move their work beyond the classroom while participating directly in an international academic community. “By publishing in a Ukrainian student journal, our students simultaneously achieve several goals: educational, practical and moral,” said Maxim Matusevich, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of History. “Their work finds home in a well-regarded academic publication geared towards young scholars, which can be a very stimulating intellectual experience.”

Matusevich also emphasized the importance of maintaining academic connections with Ukrainian students and scholars during wartime. “But I also believe that there is a moral dimension to this experience - the very act of such academic collaboration sends a powerful signal of solidarity to their Ukrainian peers, who continue to pursue their education under the most extreme wartime circumstances.”

Among the Seton Hall contributors is Julia Kaluzna, a History and Secondary Education student whose article examines how ideas of freedom have developed and been challenged in both the United States and Ukraine. Her work considers American political ideals and their historical limitations alongside Ukraine’s independence and the Revolution of Dignity, arguing that freedom requires continued participation and effort to sustain.

“Publishing in the Young Scholars Grinchenko Seton International Journal is meaningful to me because it gave me the opportunity to take something I had developed as a student and contribute it to a larger academic conversation,” Kaluzna said. “I also value the international nature of the journal and its connection between Seton Hall University and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University.”

Other Seton Hall contributors address subjects ranging from the conditions necessary for democratic survival and the role of young people in defending democracy to Ukraine’s use of decentralized transparency tools during wartime. Neve Walker examines conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Russia against Ukrainians, emphasizing the importance of maintaining attention on the human consequences of war even as international attention shifts to other conflicts.

Luc Escobar-Rivera explores representations of trauma from the Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship through film and historical memory. Reflecting on the international exchange behind the journal, he said, “I find it meaningful to publish in the journal because I value collaboration and sharing ideas, especially when it is between two countries, furthering our ties and reinforcing mutual understanding.”

The seventh issue continues a collaboration that has evolved over nearly two decades through virtual exchanges, conferences, research projects and student publications. Its central theme, “Building understanding across time and borders,” reflects the journal’s continuing goal of giving young scholars a forum to investigate difficult questions, encounter perspectives beyond their own and contribute their research to a wider academic conversation.

Categories: Nation and World