Perogies and Politics: Canada's Ukrainian Left, 1891-1991
© 2018
In Perogies and Politics, Rhonda Hinther explores the twentieth-century history of the Ukrainian left in Canada from the standpoint of the women, men, and children who formed and fostered it.
For twentieth-century leftist Ukrainians, culture and politics were inextricably linked. The interaction of Ukrainian socio-cultural identity with Marxist-Leninism resulted in one of the most dynamic national working-class movements Canada has ever known. The Ukrainian left’s success lay in its ability to meet the needs of and speak in meaningful, respectful, and empowering ways to its supporters’ experiences and interests as individuals and as members of a distinct immigrant working-class community. This offered to Ukrainians a radical social, cultural, and political alternative to the fledgling Ukrainian churches and right-wing Ukrainian nationalist movements. Hinther’s colourful and in-depth work reveals how left-wing Ukrainians were affected by changing social, economic, and political forces and how they in turn responded to and challenged these forces.
Product Details
- Series: Studies in Gender and History
- World Rights
- Page Count: 312 pages
- Dimensions: 6.2in x 0.8in x 9.0in
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Reviews
"Hinther’s work successfully recounts the history of the Ukrainian left in Canada, which used a combination of cultural and political practices to demonstrate their individuality within the Canadian left more broadly."
Katelyn Arac, Queen's University
The Canadian Historical Review, vol 99 4, December 2018"Rhonda Hinther’s book is a warm testimonial to how the heirs of the pro-communist minority now feel about themselves and their historical place within left-wing Canadian politics."
Thomas M. Prymak, University of Toronto
Slavic Review, vol 78 no 2Hinther offers a nuanced portrait of Canada’s Ukrainian left in the twentieth century. Anchored in labour temples and "ethnic" halls in both major urban centres and rural communities, the movement consistently married cultural preservation with political struggle. Her account not only pays close attention to the roles of women and children in the context of a masculine culture, but also challenges our understanding of the Ukrainian left and its relationship to Communism.
Linda Kealey, Department of History, University of New BrunswickThis study of left-wing Ukrainian community building by Rhonda Hinther is a delightfully readable application of theories of intersectionality to historical labour studies in Canada. Scholars of immigration, youth, generation, and gender will find considerable inspiration here.
Donna Gabaccia, Professor of History, University of Toronto -
Author Information
Rhonda L. Hinther is an associate professor in the Department of History at Brandon University. She is the co-editor of Re-imagining Ukrainian Canadians also published by University of Toronto Press. -
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Note On Transliteration
Introduction: Perogies and Politics: The Men, Women, and Children of the Ukrainian Labour Temple Movement, 1891-1991
Chapter I: ‘Sincerest Revolutionary Greetings:’ Men and the Interwar Ukrainian Left
Chapter II: Raising Funds and Class Consciousness: Women and the Interwar Ukrainian Left
Chapter III: Junior Participants in the Class Struggle: Children, Youth, and the Interwar Ukrainian Left
Chapter IV: ‘Dear Kate! I Don’t Know How You Manage!:’ The Ukrainian Left and WWII
Chapter V: ‘If There Had Been A Siberia:’ Adults and the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians
Chapter VI: ‘We’re Ukrainian-Canadians, Not Ukrainian:’ Children, Youth and the Postwar Ukrainian Left
Conclusion: "If I Can't Dance, It's Not My Revolution"
Appendix A: Key Ukrainian Leftist Organizations
Works Consulted
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Prizes
2018 Wilson Book Prize awarded by the Wilson Institute for Canadian History - Short-listed in 2019 -
Subjects and Courses
