Abstract
This article has been prepared to mark the 180th anniversary of the birth of the eminent Ukrainian scientist and Nobel laureate Illia Mechnikov. The purpose of this article is to review the contributions of Ukrainian biographical scholarship devoted to the figure of Ilia Mechnikov, a native of Slobozhanshchyna, Ukraine, where he began his teaching and research career (in Odesa). The authors single out, from the broader body of biographical literature, the specifically Ukrainian contribution to Mechnikov studies from the late 19th to the early 21st century. The methodological framework of the study combines general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization) with special historical approaches (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic, and biographical), based on the principles of historicism, systematization, integrity, scientific objectivity, and verification. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the fact that, for the first time in Ukrainian historiography, a comprehensive review has been made of the works by Ukrainian scholars devoted to the study of Mechnikov’s biography and scientific legacy. This forms the foundation for recognizing his belonging to Ukraine’s civilizational heritage and for identifying him as a Ukrainian scientist. Conclusions. The remarkable personality of Illіa Mechnikov (1845–1916) attracted scholarly attention, including from Ukrainian researchers, even during his lifetime. However, a deeper understanding of his place in science and the significance of his intellectual legacy began only after his death – through extensive obituaries and commemorative publications. During the Soviet era, Ukrainian authors sought to demonstrate that the progress of Soviet science was rooted in the strong traditions established by “progressive” scholars of the imperial period, often classifying Mechnikov unambiguously as a “Russian” scientist. Following the collapse of the USSR, processes of national historiographical formation began. Ukrainian scholarship has justifiably incorporated Mechnikov’s legacy into Ukraine’s civilizational treasury, given that he spent much of his life in Slobozhanshchyna and Southern Ukraine, particularly in Odesa. Therefore, from the perspective of national identification, Illіa Mechnikov should rightly be regarded as a Ukrainian scientist.