The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 3 (189), 885—889
UDK7.01:001.81/.82:[001.38:174]
ON THE GUARD OF THE WORD: WILL THE REVIEW GENRE SURVIVE AFTER «CHECKBOX TICKING»? (Reflections on Mykhailo Selivachov’s TwoVolume Work «Official Reflections of an Art Historian»)
BOLYUK Oleh
- ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/000000028292202X
- Doctor of Art History,
- Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine,
- the National Union of Architects of Ukraine,
- the Shevchenko Scientific Society,
- Stowarzyszenie Historyków Sztuki,
- the International Association of Art at UNESCO,
- Senior Researcher,
- Ethnology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
- Folk Art Department,
- 15, Svobody Avenue, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine,
- Contacts: e-mail: oleh.bolyuk@gmail.com
Abstract. The urgency of the topic is determined by the fact that a visible crisis in the genre of scientific criticism is currently observed in modern humanities due to excessive bureaucratization, formalization, and unification of academic reporting («checkbox ticking»). The article aims to analyze and theoretically comprehend Mykhailo Selivachov’s twovolume edition, «Official Reflections of an Art Historian» as a unique precedent for the revitalization and preservation of the deontological foundations of the review genre within Ukrainian academic discourse. The primary source base of the study consists of M. Selivachov’s twovolume work «Official Reflections of an Art Historian» (selected reviews, feedback, and expert conclusions covering the period from the late 1990s to the 2020s), the foreword by scientific editor Prof. A. Puchkov, and the author’s personal archival materials related to the scientific opponent activity of the jubilee.
The methodological basis of the work is formed by the principles of systemic and structuralfunctional analysis, the textual method, and the comparative approach. The method of art historical deontology and aestheticcontextual analysis are additionally applied to interpret the author’s model of criticism. The object of the study is the entire body of critical and expert work by M. Selivachov, presented in his fundamental twovolume publication. The subject of the study encompasses the genre, stylistic, ethicaldeontological, and architectonic features of M. Selivachov’s reviews, alongside the artistic and technical parameters of the book design.
The conclusions summarize that M. Selivachov’s reviews represent an independent form of intellectual art and a manifestation of «intellectual midwifery», which contrasts creative thought with official bureaucratism. His practical methodologies (specifically, his «Ten Tips for a Young Reviewer») aimed at fostering a culture of constructive analysis are summarized. The book design (by O. Chervinskyi and A. Budnyk) is analyzed within the context of Jan Tschichold’s European classicmodernist typography. M. Selivachov’s work is defined as an essential factor in shaping the hierarchy of values in contemporary art history.
Keywords: Mykhailo Selivachov, review, art historical deontology, scientific ethics, academic discourse, book architectonics, book design, «The Ethnology Notebooks».
REFERENCES
- Selivachov, M. (2023). Official Reflections of an Art Historian. Part One: Reflections of Dissertations in the Opponent’s Feedback. New York: Almaz [in Ukrainian].
- Selivachov, M. (2024). Official Reflections of an Art Historian. Part Two: Selected Reviews of Books, Periodicals, Articles, and Other. New York: Almaz [in Ukrainian].
