Vladimir Wozniuk
Western New England University
Vladimir Wozniuk (né Володимир Вознюк). Topical interests: nationalism and the interaction of political thought with religion and literature, primarily in Russia, Ukraine and Poland since the nineteenth century.
Fortunate enough to have been brought to the United States under the auspices of the Displaced Persons Act (1948), my sister and I were raised in a working class household by parents who, like most in the Ukrainian Diaspora, had suffered enormously in the years prior to, during and after World War II, becoming determined through their tribulations that the language, history, and religious faith of ancestors survive through their progeny.
Of course we were neither the first nor the last. . .
Here, the French saying “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” may be applied to the American immigrant experience going back to the nineteenth century: a multitude of languages on bustling city streets and in tenements jam-packed, public school serving as melting pot for first generations – a powerfully “American” identity emerging from the process, overshadowing tremendous diversity.
For various reasons, many would be assimilated to the point of forgetfulness, some even disparaging their heritage altogether. Others would find themselves wandering as if through a wilderness, then suddenly stumbling upon memories, buried treasure. . .
My research and writing have endeavored to stay faithful to my parents’ determination.
I have held faculty appointments at the University of Georgia, Northern Kentucky, Lafayette College, and Western New England University.