Factors of Cultural Identity Formation in the Rusins of Ugric Rus in the 19th Century

The article highlights the conflicts of the cultural identity formation in the Rusins of Ugric Rus in the 19th century, with the focus on the role of primordial relationships. The authord examines the peculiarities and civilizational guidelines of the Greek-Catholic clergy culture-creating activities in the first half of the 19th century and the reasons for its depreciation by the broad masses. It has been shown that primordial relationships, based on language and religion, may become irrefutable and turn into facts, rooted in the human subconsciousness only in relatively closed societies, while in the free communities, they usually have rational and engineered character. The authors emphasise that the formation of the ethnic identity in the Rusins of Ugric Rus was influenced by the same factors as in other European nations. Permanent discrimination on the basis of belonging to the Eastern Christian religious tradition necessitated cultural self-determination not only among educated clergy, but populace and plain country folk, who, due to the century-long original religious rituals and artistic traditions, became conscious of themselves as part of a cultural community that was wider than family, village and/or religious community. That cultural community has the right to develop its own authentic original culture. The leading value in understanding the cultural identity of the Rusins of Ugric Rus in the 19th century was their deep attachment to the Eastern religious tradition, which formed a distinctive ethnographic space.

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