Reclaiming and Redefining the Borderland: Exploring Identity in Pittsburgh's Ukrainian Immigrant Community

My research on ethnic identity and Pittsburgh's Ukrainian immigrant community began
as work for the Anthropology Research Seminar, the capstone course of my undergraduate
Anthropology/History education. The course's focus was the student production of an original
fieldwork based research project. After the course ended, I chose to continue my research as a
Senior Honors Thesis.
After some preliminary research online to get an idea about what types of ethnic/ culture
organizations Pittsburgh offers, I found an announcement for the Pittsburgh Ukrainian Festival,
20t h Anniversary concert in honor of the 10t h Anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine and in
Remembrance of the September 11t h Tragedy. It was scheduled for September 30 at the
Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh campus. At the annual Ukrainian Festival I
fumbled with my notebook, wondering if I was paying correct attention to the right things. My
first exposure to Pittsburgh's Ukrainian immigrant community was also my first experience as a
participant observer.