Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Greek Catholic Ukrainians who were expelled from Subcarpathia in Eastern Poland after WW II have been returning with their descendants and reviving ruined shrines.  Based on her ethnographic fieldwork, Dr. Buyskykh will discuss  several such cases, using the concepts of “roots pilgrimage” and “homecoming.” The talk considers: How does religion function on a grassroots level? When does religion serve as a divisive factor and when as a bridge? In which particular occurrences do memories become part of religious experiences, shaping both collective and individual memories, and therefore, the sense of belonging?

Dr. Buyskykh (PhD University of Kyiv) is currently a Visiting Fulbright Scholar in the Department of History at Penn State.