The Ukrainians In America

Kuropas portrays the resistance of Ukrainians to disappearing in the American melting pot. He shows how American Ukrainians developed from Rusyns with an essentially religiocultural identity into a distinct ethnonationality. Beginning with the European and American roots of this ethnic group, he traces the evolution of the Ukrainian Americans and their religious, political, and cultural aspirations. With 32 pages of historical photographs. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Despite centuries of foreign rule, the people of Ukraine preserved their rich Slavic heritage. Fleeing poverty and persecution, Ukrainians brought this heritage with them to build new communities in the United States. This book is a look into how, with each new generation, the Ukrainian Americans continue to add to American life through their traditions of faith, their arts and architecture, and many other contributions.

Over 250 photographs from several museums and archives adorn a chronicle of Ukrainians in North America. Begins with a survey of the political and economic conditions in the homeland; describes the three different waves of immigration over the past century; and concludes with a comparison between settlers in Canada and the US. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Although Ukrainians have been immigrating to the US since the 1870s, it wasn't until after Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 that large-scale migration occurred. This title provides an introduction to the history, culture, religion, and experiences of this immigrant group, featuring full-color photographs.

A quixotic figure, Vasile Avramenko (1895-1981) used folk culture and modern media in a life-long crusade to promote Ukraine’s struggle for independence to North American audiences. From his base in New York City, he built a network of folk dance schools and produced musical spectacles to help Ukrainian immigrants sustain their identity. His feature-length Ukrainian language films made in the 1930s with Hollywood director Edgar G. Ulmer, the “king of ethnic and B movies,” were shown throughout North America. Orest T. Martynowych’s The Showman and the Ukrainian Cause is a fascinating portrait how culture can become a political tool in a diaspora community.