Paradox latentnej etnicity: ukrajinský prípad obdobia stredoveku a raného novoveku

Abstract

The author of the article focuses his attention on the latent (implicit) ethnicity paradox, the essence of which lies in the fact that the ancient phenomenon of ethnicity has not yet been articulated and reflected on the social level. But definite ethnic groups and ethnicities did really exist. In the pre-modern period ethnicity articulation was realized on either a personality level or the family societal one. The specificity of the Ukrainian case lies in the fact that nation considered itself to be separate from neighbours and this approach originated in the Southern area of Eastern Slavs in the early Middle Ages period when tribe names disappeared. Since then, Kyivan Rus’ ethnic group that is the initial form of the Ukrainian community came into existence. In the course of time its ethno-cultural, ethno-social and ethno-national strata were transformed. Collaboration of historians, ethnologists and social anthropologists is necessary for the optimization of latent ethnicity research.