THE ETHNONYM “RUSYN” AS AN EXPRESSION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE UZHHOROD NEWSPAPER “RUSYN” (1923)

Abstract

The article analyzes the semantic structure and features of the functioning of the ethnonym “Rusyn” in the pages of the Uzhhorod daily newspaper “Rusyn” (1923). It examines how the periodical reinterpreted the ancient self-designation under the new socio-political realities following the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the incorporation of Subcarpathian Rus' into Czechoslovakia. It is noted that under the conditions of national disorientation and the consequences of Magyarization, the newspaper used the lexeme “Rusyn” as a tool for consolidation and nation-building for the sake of spiritual revival and overcoming the inferiority complex. A complex, multidimensional semantics of the word “Rusyn” is revealed. In the ethnic and cultural-historical dimensions, the ethnonyms “Rusyn” and “Ukrainian” (as well as “Maloros”) functioned as synonyms in the newspaper’s texts. The authors argued that “Rusyn” is the original common self-designation of the entire Ukrainian people, which was preserved in Subcarpathia due to its geographical and political isolation. At the same time, the distinction between the concepts of “Rusyn” and “Ukrainian” in the political discourse is traced: the word “Rusyn” acted as a politonym denoting a local autochthonous citizen, whereas the word “Ukrainian” was predominantly used regarding political migrants from other states. The consolidation function of the ethnonym is particularly emphasized: the name “Rusyn” served as a hypernym uniting sub-ethnic groups (Hutsuly, Lemaky, Lyshaky-Verkhovyntsi, etc.) into a single ethnos, and simultaneously the newspaper extended the use of this lexeme to Ukrainians on both sides of the Carpathians and in the diaspora. It is concluded that the newspaper “Rusyn” reflected a transitional stage in the evolution of the identity of the region's autochthonous inhabitants, where the reinterpreted word “Rusyn” became not a factor of separation, but a bridge to the nationwide unity of Ukrainians.