Preserving Identity: Ian Kuijt Honored by Kyiv University for Ukrainian Heritage Work // News // Medieval Institute // University of Notre Dame

In recognition of his work recording and documenting the wartime destruction of Ukrainian cultural sites, Notre Dame anthropology professor and Nanovic Faculty Fellow Ian Kuijt was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) in spring 2026. Founded in 1834, KNU is one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in Ukraine, enrolling approximately 30,000 students. KNU bestows only one honorary doctorate each year.

This recognition highlights Kuijt’s 30 years of global heritage research and four years of intensive fieldwork in war-torn Ukraine. Partnering with Notre Dame professor and filmmaker William Donaruma, as well as faculty from Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) and KNU’s Department of Archaeology and Museology, Kuijt began conducting field assessments following a late-2022 seminar co-organized with KNU and the Hv. Vovk Center for Paleoethnological Research. Together, the team documented damage to cultural, historical, and civic infrastructure across de-occupied territories in the Zhytomyr, Kyiv, and Chernihiv regions—ranging from historic churches and museums to libraries, schools, and hospitals.

Videographer captures a view of the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of Ukraine’s most iconic cultural and spiritual landmarks. — Professor Ian Kuijt captures a view of the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of Ukraine’s most iconic cultural and spiritual landmarks.

The award ceremony coincided with the KNU premiere of Kuijt and Donaruma’s latest documentary, 14 Litres of Ukrainian Blood (2026). The making of this film, as well as their previous documentary, Targeting Beauty (2024), was supported by faculty grants issued by the Nanovic Institute. Filmed between 2023 and 2025, 14 Litres of Ukrainian Blood moves beyond archaeology to capture personal accounts of war through interviews with UCU master’s students, military personnel, and clergy.

During the ceremony, the KNU rector commended Kuijt’s commitment to preserving Ukrainian heritage. He then presented Kuijt with Day After the War, a book project written collaboratively by KNU students and faculty which underscores the importance of memory, solidarity, and victory. The book echoes a core premise of Kuijt’s mission and work: recording sites of cultural heritage is about so much more than preserving the past; it is about securing the living identity that will shape Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

For further details on the conferral ceremony, view the official press release from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Originally published by Grant Osborn and Roy Kimmey at nanovic.nd.edu on August 22, 2026. Republished at medieval.nd.edu on August 31, 2026.