The University of Alberta in Canada conceived the Fellowship for Crimean Tatar Studies at the Faculty of Native Studies, which operates as part of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies.

This Fellowship will enable scholars to continue their doctoral research on Crimean Tatar history, culture, and social processes from an Indigenous Studies perspective. The Fellowship’s first recipient is Nara Narimanova, a Crimean Tatar who moved to Kyiv from occupied Crimea in 2014 and is now enrolled at the University of Alberta to pursue a Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies at the Faculty of National Studies.

The Mission expresses its gratitude to the initiators and the institution for the realization of this significant idea. We emphasize that promoting the creation of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar Studies is one of the priorities of the Mission to form an adequate understanding of Crimea and its history, as well as the role of Indigenous peoples in it, at the international level.

In addition, during the Fourth Summit of the Crimea Platform, First Lady Olena Zelenska emphasized the importance of establishing Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar Studies abroad. The Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, created with the support of First Lady Olena Zelenska and a joint initiative of the Office of the Crimea Platform, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Foundation of the President of Ukraine for Support of Education, Science and Sports, and the Ukrainian Institute, has begun to operate abroad.

It is essential to create educational initiatives in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar Studies because Crimean Tatar Studies abroad will not only support the revival of Indigenous knowledge systems but also engage in the development of sustainable and successful practices for the decolonization of Crimea.