« 2026. # 3 (189)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 3 (189), 876—884

UDK[784.7:780.614.13 (477)] [398:8]

THE ENDURANCE OF KOBZARDOM: CONTINUITY OF THE SONG TRADITION

KUZMENKO Oksana

• ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000­0002­0512­6388
• Doctor of Science in Philology
• (Dr.Hab. in Folklore Studies), Senior Scholar,
• Leading Research Associate
• of the Department of Social Anthropology
• The Ethnology Institute,
• National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
• 15, Svobodа Avenue, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
• Contacts: е­mail: kuzmenko.oksana@gmail.com

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of the bandurist band «Zaspiv» at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute, which emerged in 1949 under the leadership of Oleh Gasiuk (1922—2002), and its exceptional socio­historical significance in the upbringing of Ukrainian national self­consciousness in the conditions of the dominant discourse of colonial power and the absence of national statehood.The purpose of the article is a cultural and anthropological analysis of the features of the process of formation and formation of the ensemble «Zaspiv», taking into account the different historical stages of activity, repertoire and life trajectories of the collective’s members.

The relevance of the topic is due to the publication of the popular science book «Echoes of “ZASPIV”: materials from the history of the creative activity of the bandurist ensemble of the Lviv Polytechnic, compiled by D.B. Kovalchuk, T.B. Zheplinsky. Lviv: Lviv Polytechnic Publishing House, 2026. 220 p.; ill.». The methodological basis of the article is the methods of historical anthropology, critical genealogy, and the principle of typology.

The object of the study is the artistic activity of the student bandurist ensemble from the 1950s to the early 2000s, its ideological foundations, and the prerequisites for structural changes. The subject of the study is the socio­cultural aspect of the performing activities of the bandurist ensemble «Zaspiv» in the mid­20th century, its role in the preservation and development of folk traditions of kobzarism in the unfavorable conditions of the colonial regime of the Stalinist and Brezhnev periods, and its significance in the formation of a national­patriotic environment.

The book consists of four main sections. The first section covers information about 1949—1950 and describes the conditions of the group’s functioning during the Stalinist regime. This part of the book contains unique memories of the Gulag and photo illustrations of the cultural activities of bandurists in exile in Siberia. The conclusions to the article indicate that the phenomenon of the bandurist chapel «Zaspiv» lies in its socio­historical, art­historical and educational significance.

Keywords: ensemble, bandur art, performance, worldview, folklore, kobzar tradition, fakelore, discourse of the authorities, Gulag.

REFERENCES

• Kovalchuk, D.B., & Zheplynskyi, T.B. (2026). «Echoes of “ZASPIVU”: Materials on the History of the Creative Activity of the Lviv Polytechnic Bandura Ensemble». Lviv: Lviv Polytechnic Publishing House [in Ukrainian].
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