Religion and Nationality in Western Ukraine: The Greek Catholic Church and the Ruthenian National Movement in Galicia, 1867-1900 (Mcgill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion) [Hardcover]

John-Paul Himka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1999 | Series: Mcgill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion

Using Soviet archival materials declassified in the 1980s, John-Paul Himka examines a period during which the Greek Catholic church in Galicia was involved in a protracted, and at times bitter, struggle to maintain its distinctive, historically developed rites and customs. He focuses on the way differing concepts of Rutherian nationality affected the perception and course of church affairs while showing the influence of local ecclesiastical matters on the development and acceptance of these divergent concepts of nationality. The implications and complications of the Galician imbroglio are engagingly explained in this latest addition to Himka's work on nationality in late nineteenth-century Galicia. His analysis of the relationship between the church and the national movement is a valuable addition to the study of religion and national movements in East Europe and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By thus seeking to reconstruct and detail the immensely complex and constantly changing situation in Galicia Himka attempts to provide an insight into the realities of the construction of a national identity. At the same time he demonstrates clearly the impossibility of disentangling religious and political developments in this context." Richard Greenfield, Department of History, Queen's University. "Religion and Nationality in Western Ukraine is engaging, entertaining, and not without humour. [John-Paul Himka's] style is suitable for the educated non-specialist and non-scholarly reader. He tells a good story." Andrew Sorokowski, St. Basil's College.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773518126
• ISBN-13: 978-0773518124
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,337,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a specialist in Ukrainian history working at the University of Alberta. Having been at it for quite a few decades, I've written about different topics. Three of my books were about Galicia under the Habsburgs in the late nineteenth century. My favorite book came out in 2009: Last Judgment Iconography in the Carpathians. It took me ten years to write, and it's pretty original. Lots of religion and religious lore run through my writings. But now I am working on a book on the Ukrainian nationalists and the Holocaust. It gets me into hot water with my community but someone has to say these things. Many of my articles can be found on the net.