Posted by hanya on October 13, 1999 at 10:05:49:
Questions about national identity are being asked everyday. Determining whether or not Rusyny are in fact Ukrainians, is a question no different from the issues surrounding national identities in places such as what used to be greater Yugoslavia. Hopefully it will never evolve into armed conflict, but the issues are no less complex or critical.
There is a church in Brooklyn, NY, whose parishioners tell us their ancestors are from Galicia, yet they claim to be Russian (not Rusyn). The father of an old friend who attended Ukrainian school with me in the US, always insisted that he is not Ukrainian but "Rusyn." Yet he spoke Ukrainian. In a note posted to this bulletin board, Vasko tells us that they are not "Rusyny" or "Russian" or "Ukrainian", but "Rusnak" who are in fact truly "Slovaks." Obviously there are differences of opinion about who these people are.
On the other hand, we have "Ukrainets" and Mykola Szoma who see a "greater" Ukrainian identity which encompasses any nunber of related ethnicities from the region. To paraphrase what another friend said, a Bavarian who takes great pride in his/her unique heritage, will also be proud of being a German.
To person who suggested that Ukrainians are in fact Russian, perhaps the reverse is actually true. If Russians claim their roots are in Kyiv, and Kyiv is now in Ukraine, doesn't that really make them Ukrainian?
For those of you who are in the New York area, a related topic will be presented and discussed tonight at Shevchenko Scientific Society:
Karpats'ka Ukrayina / Zakarpattya Pid Uhorschynoyu
Наукове Товариство ім. Шевченка в Америці у співпраці з Комісією
Зв’язку й Інформації закарпатських українців у діяспорі (КоЗІ)
запрошують Вас на вечір у програмі доповідь:
"Карпатська Україна 60 Років Тому і Сьогодні" яку виголосить
Василь Худанич, проф. Ужгородького Державного Університету
та презентація книги – збірника НТШ:
"Закарпаття Під Угорщиною у 1938-1944 рр" яку представить
проф. Василь Маркусь
у середу, 13 жовтня 1999 р., о годині 6-ій вечора
Naukove Tovarystvo im. Shevchenka v Amerytsi u spivpratsi z
Komisiyeyu Zv’yazku j' Informatsiyi zakarpats'kykh ukrayintsiv u
diyaspori (KoZI) zaproshuyut' Vas na vechir u prohrami dopovid':
"Karpats'ka Ukrayina 60 Rokiv Tomu i S'ohodni" yaku vyholosyt'
Vasyl' Khudanych, prof. Uzhhorod'koho Derzhavnoho Universytetu
ta prezentatsiya knyhy – zbirnyka NTSh:
"Zakarpattya Pid Uhorschynoyu u 1938-1944 rr" yaku predstavyt'
prof. Vasyl' Markus'
u seredu, 13 zhovtnya 1999 r., o hodyni 6-ij' vechora
Shevchenko Scientific Society (NTSh)
63 Fourth Avenue
between 9th & 10th St.
New York, NY 10003, USA
(tel) 212-254-5130
(fax) 212-254-5239
Click to the NTSh homepage: