Ukraine, etc.

[Paul B. Gallagher]

  George Kalbouss wrote:

> I find all of this conversation fascinating and most helpful. I 
> helped institute the teaching of Ukrainian Culture at Ohio State back
> in the late 1990's and feel it should be required of every graduate 
> student planning a career in teaching Slavic and, yes, Russian 
> culture and literature on the university level.
> 
> One question for my colleagues that has been nagging me. Regarding 
> the name "Ukraine," why haven't the Ukrainians advocated for the "big
> one," for themselves, i.e., Rus'? It's totally legitimate 
> historically. The Belarusians did it when they became independent. I 
> would love to see a map of Eastern Europe where one would find 
> Belarus, Rus and, to the east of them, Russia. Funny, I don't see it 
> advocated in the Ukrainian diaspora, and I wonder why.

Two obvious answers come immediately to mind:

1) It would look like they were taking someone else's name and 
abandoning their own;

2) The inhabitants of Rus' would have to be called Rusians, and that 
would confuse everyone but the Rusians.

Justice and legitimacy have nothing to do with it; in practical terms, 
it wouldn't work.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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