Abstract
This article aims to better understand the quality of life in Left-bank Ukraine during the 18th and 19th centuries through the analysis of a wide range of social, economic, and demographic indicators. The concept of ‘quality of life’ is considered as an interdisciplinary framework combining sociological, economic, historical, and demographic approaches. The study also evaluates the potential of various sources, including diaries, chronicles, statistics, and population censuses. Particular attention is paid to the subjective perception of well-being and its treatment in historical sources. The research demonstrates that quality of life in the region was closely connected with access to resources, education levels, infrastructure development, and professional medicine. A significant aspect of the study is the exploration of differences in perceptions of well-being among various authors. For instance, foreign travelers often romanticized or, conversely, criticized the everyday life of Left-bank Ukraine, depending on their personal views and experiences. The article analyzes key spheres affecting quality of life, such as social inequalities, population density, agrarian culture, and urbanization levels. The author emphasizes that quality of life did not always improve alongside modernization, and the expansion of urban infrastructure, for example, often adversely affected living conditions for certain groups as a consequence of inadequate water supply and sewage systems. The study highlights the necessity of analyzing historical transformations through the integration of subjective and objective data. The conclusions suggest that to objectively assess the quality of life in the region, researchers need measurable and comparable markers, as well as integral indicators reflecting the impact of various factors on human lives. Mortality rates and life expectancy are proposed as such indicators. Existing data for Left-bank Ukraine indicate a noticeably higher quality of life in the region compared to the provinces of European Russia at that time. However, this data is insufficient, referring only to the quality of life in Left-bank Ukraine at its ‘exit point’ from its ‘exit point’ from its situation of subjugation to empire. Without knowledge of mortality and life expectancy at its ‘entry point’, when the Hetmanate was still a distinct social and economic entity, such data can be interpreted in various contradictory ways, as is happening now. Therefore, the next stage of research would require studying these same indicators as they apply to the Hetmanate.
Funding source: Centre for Advanced Study (CAS Sofia)
Award Identifier / Grant number: Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship 2023-2026
Funding source: French Research Center in Humanities and Social Sciences (CEFRES) in Prague
Award Identifier / Grant number: CEFRES, UAR 3138 CNRSMEAE
Acknowledgments
I am sincerely grateful to CEFRES for their support in the preparation of this text and my research. I am also very grateful to the anonymous reviewers whose criticisms, suggestions, and comments helped to refine and improve the manuscript. My greatest gratitude goes to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who defend Ukraine from Russian aggression.
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Research funding: This work was supported by Centre for Advanced Study (CAS Sofia) (Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship 2023-2026) and CEFRES non-residential fellowships for Ukrainian researchers in humanities and social sciences (CEFRES, UAR 3138 CNRSMEAE).
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Introduction
- Research Articles
- I Rethink. Objects, models, and methods in Humanities and Social Sciences since the invasion of Ukraine
- From Neopatrimonial Science to Consumption of Academic Degrees: The Case of Political Science in Ukraine
- Quality of Life in the Hetmanate and Left-Bank Ukraine in the 18th–19th Centuries: Between ‘Subjective’ Narratives and ‘Objective’ Markers
- In a Stranger’s House: Social Isolation of Internally Displaced People in Ukraine During Wartime
- The Effects of Sensory Language in Human Trafficking Survival Storytelling: An Empirical Study
- II Facing Familiar Violence
- Who Actually Killed the “Angel in the House”? Love, War and Independence in Zofia Nałkowska and Virginia Woolf
- The Play A Maiden’s Love by Maria Kuncewiczowa as an Example of a Representation of the Subject of Abortion in Polish Interwar Theatre
- Dehumanization Practices: Effects of Violence on Self-Identity in Diana Balyko’s Plays
- Report
- Export of Cultural Property from Ukraine: State Policy and the Challenges of War
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Introduction
- Research Articles
- I Rethink. Objects, models, and methods in Humanities and Social Sciences since the invasion of Ukraine
- From Neopatrimonial Science to Consumption of Academic Degrees: The Case of Political Science in Ukraine
- Quality of Life in the Hetmanate and Left-Bank Ukraine in the 18th–19th Centuries: Between ‘Subjective’ Narratives and ‘Objective’ Markers
- In a Stranger’s House: Social Isolation of Internally Displaced People in Ukraine During Wartime
- The Effects of Sensory Language in Human Trafficking Survival Storytelling: An Empirical Study
- II Facing Familiar Violence
- Who Actually Killed the “Angel in the House”? Love, War and Independence in Zofia Nałkowska and Virginia Woolf
- The Play A Maiden’s Love by Maria Kuncewiczowa as an Example of a Representation of the Subject of Abortion in Polish Interwar Theatre
- Dehumanization Practices: Effects of Violence on Self-Identity in Diana Balyko’s Plays
- Report
- Export of Cultural Property from Ukraine: State Policy and the Challenges of War