Alexandra Shaitan (Temple University, Tokyo Campus)

Dear friends of the Multilingual Café,

the next Multilingual Cafe (OLE SIG) is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm and will be held online.

Alexandra Shaitan (Temple University, Tokyo Campus) will talk on the topic “Claiming the Roumeian/Greek Identity in Ukraine”.

Abstract of the presentation:

According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, approximately 120,000 ethnic Greeks reside in the eastern region of Ukraine, commonly known as Donbass. Their presence is particularly concentrated in the city of Mariupol and across 32 villages in the surrounding area (Blackwell, 2011; Topalidis, 2018). This population constitutes the largest Greek diaspora within the former Soviet Union. Despite their status as a minoritized linguistic community, Greek-speaking inhabitants in this region have successfully maintained their distinct cultural traditions and customs for over two centuries.

This study examines the village of Bugas, one of the Greek-speaking settlements within the Donbass region. Bugas is primarily inhabited by the Roumeian population, which numbers approximately 1,456 individuals. The analysis will explore the linguistic, cultural, and historical characteristics of this community, emphasizing its role in the broader context of Greek heritage preservation in eastern Ukraine.