The Integration of the Rusyn and Hutsul People of Subcarpathian Rus into the Czechoslovak Republic

When Subcarpathian Ruthenia became part of the Czechoslovak Republic in the Paris peace negotiations, the easternmost region of the newly founded state was little known to the rest of the country. This was the trigger for ethnographs, adventurers and explorers to visit the region, to visit and photograph its population and important landmarks as well as nature, and to become familiar with their language, traditions and their way of life. This went along with a clear exoticization, romanticization and even orientalization of the region in general and specifically of its majority population, usually called Rusíni in the Czechoslovak context. The perceived ethnic group of Hutsuls received special attention, living in the southeastern mountains of Subcarpathian Ruthenia. This resurged for several reasons, first of all due to the proclamation of the Hutsul Republic in the town of Iasinia in 1918/19, even before the region legally became part of Czechoslovakia. On top of that, the Hutsuls were seen as the prototype of mountain dwellers in the Carpathians, which deserved special ethnographic attention. Finally, the Subcarpathian region had to be integrated into the young Republic, which is why the creation of a majority national group in Subcarpathian Rus was vital for state politics in the region. Further investigation is required into how the Rusyns and Hutsuls of Subcarpathian Rus were represented by state perspectives.