Narratives of ethnic identity and language among young Pannonian Ruthenians in Serbia
Narratives of ethnic identity and language among young Pannonian Ruthenians in Serbia

Summary/Abstract: This article offers a study of narratives of ethnic identity among young Ruthenians in Serbia. The analysed data comes from in-depth interviews and questionnaires conducted in 2016 with nine informants studying at the University of Novi Sad. The narrative approach has proven to be most suitable, especially when trying to understand the individual perspective of one’s ethnic and linguistic identity. In order to understand Ruthenians as an ethnic minority in Serbia, the study also provides a brief overview of the historical context, including information on Ruthenian migration from Transcarpathia to Vojvodina in the eighteenth century, their strategic positioning towards the nation states they have lived in, their Greek-Catholic denomination as a factor distinguishing them from other ethnic communities, as well as the intersubjective understanding of their ethnic identity. Vojvodina, the northern region of Serbia, where they live, is a multicultural and multi-confessional province, which has proven to be both an opportunity and a challenge for this community. The historical overview also presents how they have obtained their minority rights since their migration to the region.

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