Transcarpathia: Peripheral region at the ‘centre of Europe’

Article is part of a special issue, 'Region, State and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe'.

Journal abstract:

Transcarpathia's special identity was formed by repeated annexations by rival states, of which it was always a remote backwater. The result was a multi-cultural ethnic mosaic, whose major groups all suffered under successive regimes. In the 1980s, Rusyn ethno-national identity re-emerged to challenge the 'Ukrainianizing' efforts of the Kiev government, with, at times, the opportunistic support of the local former communist elite. Autonomy is also sought by the local Hungarian minority. 'Central European' identity is invoked to emphasize the region's cultural distance from the capital, and justify aspirations to a special regional status and closer links with the west. But the impending EU's Schengen border threatens these links, prompting many to emigrate. Those who remain feel betrayed by the 'Europe' at whose 'centre' they lie.