Encyclopedia of Rusyn History and Culture

The Carpatho-Rusyns are an East Central European people, numbering approximately 1.2 million, who live within the borders of four states: Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, and Poland. They have never had a state of their own. Disregarded and suppressed by past governments that ruled over them, the Rusyn people have had to fight to retain their identity, culture, and language. This work is an attempt to redress the loss of historical memory and knowledge caused by decades of repression by investigating and explaining the historical past and culture of Rusyns, in all countries where they live. The encyclopedia contains over 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries in areas such as individuals, organizations, political parties, periodicals, historical terms, geographic regions, historical events, cinema, architecture, archaeology, ethnography, language, and literature. The first work on the Rusyn culture published in English, this book is a resource for both the Slavic studies specialist, and the general reader interested in Rusyn affairs.