Can I borrow an onion?

by Oksana Lemishka

Tales of a sociologist about happy societies, or How to invest in the invisible?

"Can I borrow an onion?" is a collection of short stories about the wellbeing of communities. The book is a reflection of a sociologist on hundreds of conducted surveys and observations in Ukraine and abroad. What do a bouquet of flowers and democracy share? Why do adults still build “hallabuddas”? How does Europe lend us its values? What dissolves Soviet nostalgia? Why do some buildings destroy us? The author answers these and many other questions, trying to understand herself and the world around her. Full of examples from real life, the essays offer a fresh look at practical sociology.

Ukrainian Language

by Orysia Demska

A Journey from Bad Ems to Strasbourg

There are two important points on the cultural map of modern Ukrainian: Bad Ems, where a decree tried to convince the world that the Ukrainian language did not exist, and Strasbourg, where, on March 21, 2022, Ukrainian gained the status of a future official language of the European Union.Orysia Demska narrates the origin and development of the Ukrainian language, from the Proto-Indo-European language to the present day, its interaction with other languages, the history of mutual enrichment, its unyielding opposition to the Russian language, and the sequence of linguicides from which it ultimately emerged victorious.The book presents a clear explanation of how Ukrainian statehood and national identity were formed through language and thanks to language.