Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Session 1.15 Comparative Cultures
Presentation #1 Title
New Carpathia: Known Realities and Imagined Possibilities
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This session will feature four presentations reflecting current realities in Carpathian mountain communities. The first will address the depressed economic conditions in the highlands using the latest available government data. Communities in the highlands currently suffer from high unemployment, low wages, high rates of outmigration, and lack of modern infrastructure. After summarizing the social conditions in the mountains, the presenter will outline possible strategic goals for economic development, which could include a variety of local, regional, state, and even international partnerships. The second presentation will focus on folkloric celebrations presently practiced in mountain communities. Despite economic hardships, centuries-old cultural traditions are still found in many highland communities. The presentation will document these practices over the seasonal round, from spring Easter celebrations to Christmas caroling and local “Vertep” performances at year’s end. A third presentation will address the use of traditional plants and herbs in the daily treatment of illnesses and injuries in the Carpathians. While folk medicine has evolved considerably in the highlands, many in the mountains still see the use of natural remedies as a primary method of treating sickness. Some mountain teachers even incorporate this knowledge into their course curriculum and place locally gathered “phyto-medicines” in school infirmaries. A fourth and final presentation will look at the various kinds of museums in the Carpathians, as well as their material artifacts and interpretive standards. Museums in the mountain region are viewed not only as sources of historical information but as institutions vitally important to local community development. After summarizing the type and number of interpretive museums in the Carpathians, the presenter will focus on the most important of these “ethnographic” institutions, including those facilities whose collections most accurately reflect the past and present lives of mountain people.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Iryna Galushchak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. She has authored more than 20 articles on the economic problems of the Carpathian region and has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences. Her interests include regional development, strategic planning, and economic auditing.
Presentation #2 Title
The Ukrainian Carpathians: Strategic Goals for Economic Development in a Depressed Highland Region
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Nadia Lutsan is Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Primary Education at the Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Professor Lutsan is the author of over 150 published articles on the problems of childhood development, elementary school education, and teacher training. Although a noted and prominent teacher of education, she has a deep and abiding interest in Carpathian folk culture and has also done extensive fieldwork on the traditions and folk customs of Ukrainian highlanders.
Presentation #3 Title
Seasons of Life: Traditions, Holidays, and Customs in the Carpathian Highlands
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Oleksandra Khallo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education at the Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Her interests include the health condition of Carpathian residents as well as their past and present use of folk remedies, especially those that require knowledge of native plants and herbs. She has authored more than 30 articles on the prevalence and problems of disease in the mountain region and has attended a number of international and national conferences and forums on rural health.
Presentation #4 Title
Highland Healers: The Past and Present Use of Folk Medicine in the Ukrainian Carpathians
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Andrii Chervinskyi is a full-time lecturer at the Ivano-Frankivsk State College for Technology and Business. He holds Master’s degrees in both Tourism and Finance from the Precarpathian National University in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Mr. Chervinskyi is interested in museums and museum interpretation and their role in the preservation of folk customs, traditions, and crafts. He has published several articles on these topics and frequently leads Ukrainian students on excursions to popular (and sometimes not so popular) tourist destinations in the Carpathian mountains.
New Carpathia: Known Realities and Imagined Possibilities
Harris Hall 303
This session will feature four presentations reflecting current realities in Carpathian mountain communities. The first will address the depressed economic conditions in the highlands using the latest available government data. Communities in the highlands currently suffer from high unemployment, low wages, high rates of outmigration, and lack of modern infrastructure. After summarizing the social conditions in the mountains, the presenter will outline possible strategic goals for economic development, which could include a variety of local, regional, state, and even international partnerships. The second presentation will focus on folkloric celebrations presently practiced in mountain communities. Despite economic hardships, centuries-old cultural traditions are still found in many highland communities. The presentation will document these practices over the seasonal round, from spring Easter celebrations to Christmas caroling and local “Vertep” performances at year’s end. A third presentation will address the use of traditional plants and herbs in the daily treatment of illnesses and injuries in the Carpathians. While folk medicine has evolved considerably in the highlands, many in the mountains still see the use of natural remedies as a primary method of treating sickness. Some mountain teachers even incorporate this knowledge into their course curriculum and place locally gathered “phyto-medicines” in school infirmaries. A fourth and final presentation will look at the various kinds of museums in the Carpathians, as well as their material artifacts and interpretive standards. Museums in the mountain region are viewed not only as sources of historical information but as institutions vitally important to local community development. After summarizing the type and number of interpretive museums in the Carpathians, the presenter will focus on the most important of these “ethnographic” institutions, including those facilities whose collections most accurately reflect the past and present lives of mountain people.
