With Their Backs to the Mountains: A History of Carpathian Rus' and Carpatho-Rusyns

by Paul Robert Magocsi

"This is a history of a stateless people, the Carpatho-Rusyns, and their historic homeland, Carpathian Rus', located in the heart of central Europe. At the present, when it is fashionable to speak of nationalities as 'imagined communities' or as transnational constructs 'created' by intellectuals\elites who may live in the historic 'national' homeland or in the diaspora, Carpatho-Rusyns provide an ideal example of a people made--or some would say still being made--before our very eyes. The book traces the evolution of Carpathian Rus' from earliest pre-historic times to the present and the complex manner in which a distinct Carpatho-Rusyn people, since the mid-nineteenth century, came into being, disappeared, and then re-appeared in the wake of the revolutions of 1989 and the collapse of Communist rule in central and eastern Europe. The book, while based on the author's four decades of erudition on the subject, eschews scholarly jargon and is written in an accessible reader-friendly style"--Provided by publisher.

Genres: Ukraine, History

564 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2015

Reviews

[Dave Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revelation. So much of my past was caught up in the confusion over who and what my cultural legacy was on my mother’s mother’s religious and ethnic backstory. Unbelievable depth on these (my) people and the land they called home. Tsunami sized waves of war and political history. And now with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a new sad chapter is currently being written. Highly recommended (but I have a dog in this fight).

[Steve Dyster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of a 'nation' that has never been nation state is fascinating. OK, there'll be this who would dispute the notion that Carpatho-Rusyns are a 'nation', rather an 'ethnic' group. Used as we are to reading the histories of nation states and forgetting that they frequently vanish, it is unusual to take on a history of a 'nation' under construction, fighting for identity, or seeking its place amongst the wider Rus' peoples.

Interestingly, the author has himself been seen by some as politically motivated. His empathy for the Carpatho-Rusyn's and their various diasporas is clear, but looking in form outside, he almost always manages to keep balance both in terms of language and the analysis of different orientations which Carpatho-Rusyns have adjusted to or been pushed into.

Don't expect a simple read. the Religious, cultural, political shifting sands of Central Europe are reshaped by forces both external and from within, with potentially puzzling frequency. The author goes a long way to dealing with this by the inclusion of numerous helpful maps. Even better, some of the more confusing concepts - at least to those brought up in a settled Western Europe - are dealt with in some depth in distinctly highlighted sections. The organisation of the book and the continual use of names in different languages/dialects, may seem repetitive. The alternative would be, in my view, unmanageable.

I found this book fascinating. Having little to compare it to, and with, it seems to me, Magocsi, as the current authority, it may be the only book in the English language to really deal with the subject. Equally, given the numerous highly political takes on the Carpatho-Rusyn homelands and peoples, it seems balanced, authoritative, and, in my opinion, highly enjoyable to read.

[Chris Wares · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the history of the Carpartho-Rus, a people who live between much larger nations - the Hungarians, the Slovaks, the Poles and the Ukrainians - and thus never quite got their own state.

The author helpfully includes some great maps that help to explain where the ever-moving borders are drawn during each historic era