Books by Michael Kopanic
Kultúrne dejiny / Cultural History, Volume 13, Issue 2, pp. 291-304., 2022
An Interview with the historian Michael J. Kopanic The historian Michael J. Kopanic was born in D... more An Interview with the historian Michael J. Kopanic The historian Michael J. Kopanic was born in December 1954 in Youngstown, Ohio (USA) to parents Michal and Anna, who came from the Spiš region (Slovakia). He began studying history and German language at Youngstown State University and he completed his master's degree in history in 1977 at Notre Dame University, where he was awarded a full academic scholarship. He started his doctoral studies at the University of Toronto in Canada and completed it in 1986 at the University of Pittsburgh. During his doctoral studies, he participated in three Slovak language summer courses at Studia Academica Slovaca (SAS). His dissertation Industrial Trade Unions in Slovakia 1918-1929 was devoted to the analysis of industrial trade unions in Slovakia. By virtue of his roots, his career as a historian was, from the very beginning, focused on the research of immigration of Slovaks to the USA, and 20th century Central and Eastern European political and cultural history. The courses of Slovak language that he completed greatly influenced the direction of his further studies and research. Thanks to this qualification, he received a scholarship that enabled him to attain an academic stay in Czechoslovakia in 1982-1983. Since 1989, he has made regular visits to Slovakia, taking part in various academic events, as well as personal visits. Since 2007, he has held the position of an "Adjunct Associate Professor" and since 2012, the position of an "Adjunct Professor" at the University of Maryland Global Campus, where he has taught courses on general modern European history as well as the history of Central and Eastern Europe, the history of the Ottoman Empire, and the history of the Second World War. Since the end of the '80s, he has worked at several universities as a resident and visiting lecturer and university professor:
Jednota, Sept. 8, 2020, pp. 12-13/, 2020
I have created two new website groups on Facebook to help facilitate learning and the exchange of... more I have created two new website groups on Facebook to help facilitate learning and the exchange of information and ideas about Slovaks and Slovakia. One is entitled “Slovak History” and the other is “Learning the Slovak Language and Culture.”
Jednota, Dec. 11, 2019, pp. 10, 18, 2019
On October 15-19, 2019, the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) hosted its 17t... more On October 15-19, 2019, the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) hosted its 17th Genealogical and Cultural Conference at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. It organized around the theme “Pioneers on the Prairie,” since many Czech immigrants settled on farms in the Midwest from the mid-19th century until World War I.
This paper summarizes some of the presentations, especially those on Slovak topics.
Slovensko a Prvá Svetová Vojna I. Zborník príspevkov z medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencie, Humenne: Klub vojenskej histórie Beskydy v spolupráci so Štátnou vedeckou knižnicou Košice, 2018., 2018
English summary. The publication is a compilation of contributions made at an academic conferenc... more English summary. The publication is a compilation of contributions made at an academic conference entitled “Slovakia and the First World War”. The conference took place in Košice on February 20-21, 2018. The Military History Club of the Beskyds and the State Academic Library in Košice organized the conference.
Jednota, 2019
This is a summary of the speech I presented to the Slovak League of America in New York City in M... more This is a summary of the speech I presented to the Slovak League of America in New York City in May 2019. General Dr. Milan R. Štefánik, the famous soldier, astronomer, aviator, and diplomat, helped create Czecho-Slovakia and is among the most popular and well-known figures in Slovak history..
Jednota, October 18, 2017, pp. 8-9, 2017
This is part 2 of an article about General Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880-1919), one of the found... more This is part 2 of an article about General Milan Rastislav Štefánik (1880-1919), one of the founding fathers of the first Czecho-Slovak Republic. This part centers around the statue to him in Paulhan, in southern France, and several other Štefánik monuments.)
Studies in Ethnic Identity: Wandering Slovak People, ed. Yoshimoto Kawasaki (Tokyo: Chuo University Press, 2007), pp. 209 – 241. Translated into Japanese., 2007
Beginning in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the United States of America became the ... more Beginning in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the United States of America became the most common destination for Slovaks who left their homeland of Hungary in Central Europe. “I am going to America” became a common expression for thousands of common people, the majority of whom were landless or poor peasants.
As a result of this migration, many Slovaks consider the United States their second homeland, and almost everyone in Slovakia claims to have a relative, even if a distant one, in America. Apart from those Slovaks living in Slovakia itself today, more people of Slovak nationality live in the U.S.A. than in any other foreign country. While 5.3 million people currently reside in Slovakia, the U.S. is home to approximately two million Americans with Slovak ethnic origins
Illustrated Slovak History
A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe
By Anton Spiesz, ... more Illustrated Slovak History
A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe
By Anton Spiesz, Albert Devine, Michael Kopanic, David Daniel, Ivan Reguli
Edited by Dr. Ladislaus J. Bolchazy, Michael Kopanic, et alii.
Epilogue by Dusan Caplovic (President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences)
Translated by Joseph J. Palus, Jr. and Michael Kopanic
Description
Introduction, Notes, and Bibliography for the English-language edition supplied by Dr. Michael Kopanic.
Academic consulting by Martin Votruba, Albert Devine, Milan S. Durica, Frantisek Vnuk, Ivan Reguli, Charles Sabatos, Patrick Romane, John Karch, Adenko G. Alexy et alii.
Associate Editing by Joseph J. Palus, Jr., Albert Devine, Patrick Romane and Richard Wood
Who are the Slovaks? What is the Slovak nation? Located in the heart of Europe, the Slovak Republic has emerged an independent and sovereign nation after centuries of struggle. The history of Slovak is part of the rich tapestry of the course of human events at the geographical and strategic crossroads of Europe. Yet, very little contemporary scholarship on Slovak history exists in English or is readily accessible to North American and Western European readers. This title thus fills an important gap in historiography about events throughout Central Europe over the last fourteen centuries. This title presents the history of Slovakia in terms of the latest scholarship and in context of on-going historical debate about Slovak history and its presentation in post-socialist world.
http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266
Sample pages: http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266&add=sam
Michael Kopanic was a co-editor with Steven G Potach of Konštantín Čulen. The History of Slovaks... more Michael Kopanic was a co-editor with Steven G Potach of Konštantín Čulen. The History of Slovaks in America (St. Paul, Minnesota: Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International, 2007). Originally published as Dejiny Slovákov v Amerike 2 vols. (Bratislava: Slovak League Publishing House, 1942), 440 pages, hardbound. ISBN 0-9651932-2-5
This 411 page hardbound book was originally published in the Slovak language in two volumes in 1942. Most of the original photos from the book have been reproduced in this English edition, along with rare additional photos of the author and the 1935-36 Matica Slovenska delegation, which he accompanied to America to conduct research for this book.
In History of Slovaks in America, writer and historian Konstantin Culen (1904-1964) paints a vivid portrait of early Slovak life in the U.S. He records in detail the experiences of Slovak-Americans, their struggles and triumphs, their strengths and failings, their passions and prejudices, and their fight to achieve unity and justice for the Slovak nation, both in America and in their oppressed homeland.
Through his rich and extensive use of early newspaper accounts, letters, eyewitness narratives and other original source materials, Culen enables us to hear the "voice" of the Slovak immigrant generation. The result is an absorbing and often dramatic chronicle of the Slovak-American experience. Appearing for the first time in English translation, this book provides an indispensable resource for understanding the foundations of Slovak life in America.
All surnames and place names in the book are fully-indexed, as an aid to genealogical research.
"Konstantin Culen was the first Slovak writer to undertake systematic research in the history of the American Slovaks, and the first to write a part of that history. He prepared many rich chapters on the history of parishes, movements, organizations, societies. . . . Culen was the first to bring about a rapprochement between Slovak America and the land of its origins. And had he accomplished nothing more as a writer and newspaperman, this accomplishment alone would rate him with the best - to be remembered as one of the foremost Slovak intellectuals of our century." - Jednota
“The Slovaks,” in Identity, Conflict, and Cooperation: Central Europeans in Cleveland, 1850-1930 (Cleveland: Western Reserve Historical Society, 2003): 249-306., 2003
“The Slovaks,” in Identity, Conflict, and Cooperation: Central Europeans in Cleveland, 1850-1930 ... more “The Slovaks,” in Identity, Conflict, and Cooperation: Central Europeans in Cleveland, 1850-1930 (Cleveland: Western Reserve Historical Society, 2003): 249-306.
SLOVAKS IN CLEVELAND, 1870 - 1930
Michael Kopanic
During the early twentieth century, Cleveland was host to one of the largest settlements of Slovaks in the United States and was for a time said to have had the largest Slovak population of any city in the world.1 The Slovak neighborhoods that developed in Cleveland were anchored by churches, with religion serving to bind the immigrants together and ease their cultural transition. Religion also, however, created divisions within the community, between and within the various confessions as well as between secular and religiously based organizations. When Cleveland’s Slovak community perceived itself as under threat from the outside, it united, both within itself and with other groups regarded as allies. Such outside threats usually had to do with interethnic conflict, most often stemming from the group’s troubled relationship with the Magyars, or ethnic Hungarians, who also had a large settlement in Cleveland.
Teaching Documents by Michael Kopanic
Recognition for outstanding teaching and service; superior student evaluations.
The lecture introduces students to questions which historians ask to better understand the past w... more The lecture introduces students to questions which historians ask to better understand the past without preconceptions and with perspective.
Awards/Offices by Michael Kopanic
Uploads
Books by Michael Kopanic
English translation by Michael Kopanic
From the parish in Nižný Klátov, a village of 857 inhabitants in the Košice-okolie District of eastern Slovakia. https://www.niznyklatov.sk/files/2020-04-02-225003-Modlitba_po__ehnania_ve__kono__n__ho_jedla.pdf (Accessed April 11, 2020).
This paper summarizes some of the presentations, especially those on Slovak topics.
As a result of this migration, many Slovaks consider the United States their second homeland, and almost everyone in Slovakia claims to have a relative, even if a distant one, in America. Apart from those Slovaks living in Slovakia itself today, more people of Slovak nationality live in the U.S.A. than in any other foreign country. While 5.3 million people currently reside in Slovakia, the U.S. is home to approximately two million Americans with Slovak ethnic origins
"Illustrated Slovak History"
You may order a hard copy of the book at Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Slovak-History-Struggle-Sovereignty/dp/0865164266
A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe
By Anton Spiesz, Albert Devine, Michael Kopanic, David Daniel, Ivan Reguli
Edited by Dr. Ladislaus J. Bolchazy, Michael Kopanic, et alii.
Epilogue by Dusan Caplovic (President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences)
Translated by Joseph J. Palus, Jr. and Michael Kopanic
Description
Introduction, Notes, and Bibliography for the English-language edition supplied by Dr. Michael Kopanic.
Academic consulting by Martin Votruba, Albert Devine, Milan S. Durica, Frantisek Vnuk, Ivan Reguli, Charles Sabatos, Patrick Romane, John Karch, Adenko G. Alexy et alii.
Associate Editing by Joseph J. Palus, Jr., Albert Devine, Patrick Romane and Richard Wood
Who are the Slovaks? What is the Slovak nation? Located in the heart of Europe, the Slovak Republic has emerged an independent and sovereign nation after centuries of struggle. The history of Slovak is part of the rich tapestry of the course of human events at the geographical and strategic crossroads of Europe. Yet, very little contemporary scholarship on Slovak history exists in English or is readily accessible to North American and Western European readers. This title thus fills an important gap in historiography about events throughout Central Europe over the last fourteen centuries. This title presents the history of Slovakia in terms of the latest scholarship and in context of on-going historical debate about Slovak history and its presentation in post-socialist world.
http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266
Sample pages: http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266&add=sam
This 411 page hardbound book was originally published in the Slovak language in two volumes in 1942. Most of the original photos from the book have been reproduced in this English edition, along with rare additional photos of the author and the 1935-36 Matica Slovenska delegation, which he accompanied to America to conduct research for this book.
In History of Slovaks in America, writer and historian Konstantin Culen (1904-1964) paints a vivid portrait of early Slovak life in the U.S. He records in detail the experiences of Slovak-Americans, their struggles and triumphs, their strengths and failings, their passions and prejudices, and their fight to achieve unity and justice for the Slovak nation, both in America and in their oppressed homeland.
Through his rich and extensive use of early newspaper accounts, letters, eyewitness narratives and other original source materials, Culen enables us to hear the "voice" of the Slovak immigrant generation. The result is an absorbing and often dramatic chronicle of the Slovak-American experience. Appearing for the first time in English translation, this book provides an indispensable resource for understanding the foundations of Slovak life in America.
All surnames and place names in the book are fully-indexed, as an aid to genealogical research.
"Konstantin Culen was the first Slovak writer to undertake systematic research in the history of the American Slovaks, and the first to write a part of that history. He prepared many rich chapters on the history of parishes, movements, organizations, societies. . . . Culen was the first to bring about a rapprochement between Slovak America and the land of its origins. And had he accomplished nothing more as a writer and newspaperman, this accomplishment alone would rate him with the best - to be remembered as one of the foremost Slovak intellectuals of our century." - Jednota
SLOVAKS IN CLEVELAND, 1870 - 1930
Michael Kopanic
During the early twentieth century, Cleveland was host to one of the largest settlements of Slovaks in the United States and was for a time said to have had the largest Slovak population of any city in the world.1 The Slovak neighborhoods that developed in Cleveland were anchored by churches, with religion serving to bind the immigrants together and ease their cultural transition. Religion also, however, created divisions within the community, between and within the various confessions as well as between secular and religiously based organizations. When Cleveland’s Slovak community perceived itself as under threat from the outside, it united, both within itself and with other groups regarded as allies. Such outside threats usually had to do with interethnic conflict, most often stemming from the group’s troubled relationship with the Magyars, or ethnic Hungarians, who also had a large settlement in Cleveland.
Teaching Documents by Michael Kopanic
Awards/Offices by Michael Kopanic
English translation by Michael Kopanic
From the parish in Nižný Klátov, a village of 857 inhabitants in the Košice-okolie District of eastern Slovakia. https://www.niznyklatov.sk/files/2020-04-02-225003-Modlitba_po__ehnania_ve__kono__n__ho_jedla.pdf (Accessed April 11, 2020).
This paper summarizes some of the presentations, especially those on Slovak topics.
As a result of this migration, many Slovaks consider the United States their second homeland, and almost everyone in Slovakia claims to have a relative, even if a distant one, in America. Apart from those Slovaks living in Slovakia itself today, more people of Slovak nationality live in the U.S.A. than in any other foreign country. While 5.3 million people currently reside in Slovakia, the U.S. is home to approximately two million Americans with Slovak ethnic origins
"Illustrated Slovak History"
You may order a hard copy of the book at Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Slovak-History-Struggle-Sovereignty/dp/0865164266
A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe
By Anton Spiesz, Albert Devine, Michael Kopanic, David Daniel, Ivan Reguli
Edited by Dr. Ladislaus J. Bolchazy, Michael Kopanic, et alii.
Epilogue by Dusan Caplovic (President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences)
Translated by Joseph J. Palus, Jr. and Michael Kopanic
Description
Introduction, Notes, and Bibliography for the English-language edition supplied by Dr. Michael Kopanic.
Academic consulting by Martin Votruba, Albert Devine, Milan S. Durica, Frantisek Vnuk, Ivan Reguli, Charles Sabatos, Patrick Romane, John Karch, Adenko G. Alexy et alii.
Associate Editing by Joseph J. Palus, Jr., Albert Devine, Patrick Romane and Richard Wood
Who are the Slovaks? What is the Slovak nation? Located in the heart of Europe, the Slovak Republic has emerged an independent and sovereign nation after centuries of struggle. The history of Slovak is part of the rich tapestry of the course of human events at the geographical and strategic crossroads of Europe. Yet, very little contemporary scholarship on Slovak history exists in English or is readily accessible to North American and Western European readers. This title thus fills an important gap in historiography about events throughout Central Europe over the last fourteen centuries. This title presents the history of Slovakia in terms of the latest scholarship and in context of on-going historical debate about Slovak history and its presentation in post-socialist world.
http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266
Sample pages: http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266&add=sam
This 411 page hardbound book was originally published in the Slovak language in two volumes in 1942. Most of the original photos from the book have been reproduced in this English edition, along with rare additional photos of the author and the 1935-36 Matica Slovenska delegation, which he accompanied to America to conduct research for this book.
In History of Slovaks in America, writer and historian Konstantin Culen (1904-1964) paints a vivid portrait of early Slovak life in the U.S. He records in detail the experiences of Slovak-Americans, their struggles and triumphs, their strengths and failings, their passions and prejudices, and their fight to achieve unity and justice for the Slovak nation, both in America and in their oppressed homeland.
Through his rich and extensive use of early newspaper accounts, letters, eyewitness narratives and other original source materials, Culen enables us to hear the "voice" of the Slovak immigrant generation. The result is an absorbing and often dramatic chronicle of the Slovak-American experience. Appearing for the first time in English translation, this book provides an indispensable resource for understanding the foundations of Slovak life in America.
All surnames and place names in the book are fully-indexed, as an aid to genealogical research.
"Konstantin Culen was the first Slovak writer to undertake systematic research in the history of the American Slovaks, and the first to write a part of that history. He prepared many rich chapters on the history of parishes, movements, organizations, societies. . . . Culen was the first to bring about a rapprochement between Slovak America and the land of its origins. And had he accomplished nothing more as a writer and newspaperman, this accomplishment alone would rate him with the best - to be remembered as one of the foremost Slovak intellectuals of our century." - Jednota
SLOVAKS IN CLEVELAND, 1870 - 1930
Michael Kopanic
During the early twentieth century, Cleveland was host to one of the largest settlements of Slovaks in the United States and was for a time said to have had the largest Slovak population of any city in the world.1 The Slovak neighborhoods that developed in Cleveland were anchored by churches, with religion serving to bind the immigrants together and ease their cultural transition. Religion also, however, created divisions within the community, between and within the various confessions as well as between secular and religiously based organizations. When Cleveland’s Slovak community perceived itself as under threat from the outside, it united, both within itself and with other groups regarded as allies. Such outside threats usually had to do with interethnic conflict, most often stemming from the group’s troubled relationship with the Magyars, or ethnic Hungarians, who also had a large settlement in Cleveland.
The revised article of 2024 summarizes the history of the pilgrimage and my experiences attending them.
Srholec was a controversial person who presented his own views rather than that of the bishops of Slovakia. Though popular among youth, he never started a movement or wrote extensively to garner support. An enigma, Srholec was more of a loner who saw himself as a man of action rather than the leader of any type of organized opposition to the Church hierarchy. He was neither a radical reformer nor a revolutionary. He virtually defies easy categorization.
Father Srholec has provided Slovakia and the world an example of selfless devotion to helping others and serving God. The Slovak people will remember his enchanting and "ever-present" smile, his kind and compassionate heart, and his boundless devotion to truth and love.
During the 1990s, Bolchazy founded and became president of the Slovak American International Cultural Foundation, a non-profit organization which publishes English translations of Slovak literature and promotes Slovak art. Bolchazy collaborated with a number of renown scholars, public figures, and other publishing houses to produce some major works about Slovakia and Slovaks in the English language.
Father Franko remained quite active in the Slovak-American community. He showed his love for the Slovak people and language, shared his talents and skills with others, and encouraged all to treasure their Slovak heritage. . Frequently, he had traveled to Slovakia to visit his ancestral homeland. Locally, he served as chaplain of Group 17 for the Slovak Catholic Sokol. He presented many talks on Slovak language, culture, customs, history, and Catholic traditions on the Slovak Radio Program, which airs from Struthers on WKTL-FM from 9-11pm Saturdays (Listen online at http://wktl.caster.fm/).
In addition, he regularly composed many articles on Slovak topics for the Newsletter of The American Slovak Cultural Association of the Mahoning Valley, and served as chaplain of the organization since 1996. The Association plans to publish more of his writings posthumously both in its newsletter and in the Slovak Catholic Federation’s annual Good Shepherd (Dobrý pastier), to which he had regularly contributed articles.
Kristina Böhmer, ed., “Slovenský Američan: Na Spiši bola v uhorských časoch taká chudoba, že Slováci chceli po príchode do USA zabudnúť na domov, Denník N, July 15, 2024, https://dennikn.sk/4087230/slovensky-american-na-spisi-bola-v-uhorskych-casoch-taka-chudoba-ze-slovaci-chceli-po-prichode-do-usa-zabudnut-na-domov/?ref=list (Accessed July 15,2024).
The University of Pittsburgh will host a memorial service in his honor at 2 p.m. on January 13, 2019 at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. More detailed information from the university on the memorial service for Dr. Votruba will be forthcoming at a later date.