Dr. Olena Palko

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Biography

Olena Palko is a historian specializing in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine. Her research focuses on the history of minorities, nationalism studies, and issues related to nationality, identities, frontiers, and borders. She authored the book 'Making Ukraine Soviet: Literature and Cultural Politics under Lenin and Stalin,' which analyzes the cultural Sovietization of Ukraine during the interwar period and examines the implications of Soviet nationality policy. Palko's current research, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, investigates Soviet minority policies in interwar Ukraine, aiming to understand the processes of national identity construction among ethnic minorities. She has held various academic positions, including Assistant Professor at the University of Basel, and has been involved in several research projects related to minority histories in Eastern Europe, enhancing scholarly understanding of the complexities surrounding ethnicity and nationalism in the region.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor/SNF-Professorship

2022-08-01 — Present

University of Basel • Basel

Assistant Professor at the Chair of Eastern European History.

Early Career Fellow

2018-01-01 — 2022-01-01

Birkbeck, University of London • London

Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

Awards

#2023

Alec Nove Prize

2023-01-01
#2022

Honorable Mention, Omeljan Pritsak Book Prize

2022-01-01

Requirements for University of Basel

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:22
Writing
Required:22
Speaking
Required:22
Total
Required:95
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field with at least 180 ECTS Specific ECTS requirements in core subjects (e.g., 90 ECTS in Math/CS for Data Science)
Application Checklist
  • Bachelor's degree certificate or current transcript of records
  • Diploma Supplement (if available)
  • CV/Resume
  • Copy of valid passport or ID card
  • Evidence of language proficiency (C1 level recommended for English/German programs)
  • Proof of payment of application fee (CHF 100)
Specialization Notes

The University of Basel generally requires C1 level proficiency in the language of instruction. For most English-taught Masters, TOEFL (min 92-95) or IELTS (min 7.0) is the standard.