Posted by Ihor Solovey on March 22, 2000 at 21:31:05:
In Reply to: Re: Language Debate to Ann Fill posted by Joe on March 20, 2000 at 19:22:27:
: RE: They balked to be named Ukrainians because they are Rusyns and not Ukrainians. They learned to live peacefully with Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles, Germans, Czechs, Rumanians, Russians, Ukrainians and Jews. Unlike in Ukraine, where pogroms, starting from the time of the Ukrainian Cossack leader Bogdan Chmelnicky
Is it neccessary to misspell every Ukrainian name you hear?
>, were frequent for several centuries, there was not one single case of a pogrom against Jews or Germans in this region that was initiated by Rusyns. After brutal annexation of Transcarpathia, (majority of Rusyns live here) to USSR by Stalin and years of exposure to the Soviet system, these people did not develop animosity towards the dominant Russians as you can see it in Baltic Republics or in the case of many Ukrainians. Currently, Transcarpathia has about 50 000 Russians. The Ukrainians are keen of Cossacks (kozac'koho rodu) as they defined themselves in their national anthem. Rusyns have nothing to do with Cossacks whatsoever. These are village centric, mountain people, their life is concentrated around family, church and community, and their history is very different.
They may be ethnical Rusyns, but from my experience they have nothing against calling them Ukrainians (either as a citizen of Ukraine or even ethnical Ukrainian). You are the first person I encountered that makes such a big issue out of this. Did you live in Ukraine yourself?
> Their language is closer to Ukrainian than to Russian language, but that's it. Currently, they would like to learn in schools their own Rusyn language, culture and history, to be called Rusyns and not Ukrainians, and have some control over their own life.
Their culture and history is closely tied to Ukrainian and studied in regions where they live, I'm sure. As of being recognised as Rusyns, I haven't seen them eagerly want to do that, but maybe they should. It's their business whether they consider themselves Ukrainians or a different ethnos.
> They are trying to reach these goals peacefully and not to secede from Ukraine. Well, Ukrainians have a chance to demonstrate that they can handle the Rusyn problem in a civilized way and not as Russians used to do it. As you may know, Ukrainians would like to join the EU. This should be a good litmus test for them. Finally, isn't it amazing how nationalistic feeling limits a capacity to think. The argument for compulsory use of Ukrainian language goes "because of closeness of Russia, the Russian speaking population becomes a part of Russia …etc". And what about Swiss French and language in Switzerland? The French speaking Swiss could be a part of France, but they do not wont to be.
1. Yes, but there is no independent Ruthenia.
2. I never noticed them so eagerly want to be recognised as different nation. Maybe you come from, say, Slovakian regions where Rusyns live and their national counsciousness is bigger?
> Is it so difficult to comprehend that the Swiss French remained as a part of Switzerland because they have more control over their life?
Than in France?
: Sincerely, Joe