‘Spreading grace’ in post‐Soviet Russia (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)

Abstract

The article addresses the revival of Russian Orthodoxy as a prominent domain in the lives of many Russians. The six authors are interested in the underlying question: What makes Russian Orthodoxy a relevent and modern source of morality and identity? The circumstances of this branch of Christianity significantly differ from what has been discussed in recent years as ‘the anthropology of Christianity’. The article proposes a thematic approach in order to connect the exploration of Russian Orthodoxy to the study of other denominations. A key‐area is the disctinctive articulation between continuity and change, which is crucial to the understanding of some branches of Protestantism as well.

Patriotism, Nationalism, Illiberalism in Their Relation to Religion: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

“…Alongside this persistence of national identity, as well as external and internal demarcation, the increasing importance of religious patterns of identification associated with the national idea is striking (Brubaker 2012;Hastings 1997). Interestingly, this is also true of the former socialist bloc where religion is of increasing importance in defining identity and in the public sphere in general (Benovska-Sabkova et al 2010;Mitrofanova 2005). In the case of Russia, Douglas Rogers (2015, p. xii) considers religion to be an integral part of the "post-Soviet cultural front".…”

1. Introduction

“…Numerous anthropological studies have looked at the strengthening influence of the Russian Orthodox Church after the end of the explicitly atheist Soviet state (e.g. Agadjanian 2017; Benovska-Sabkova et al 2010;Köllner 2012;Tocheva 2017;Zigon 2011). One can also generally observe a growing popularity of other religious denominations with a long-standing presence in Russia (Islam, Judaism, Buddhism), of indigenous belief systems such as shamanism, and of religious groups that arrived to Russia rather recently and do not enjoy the legal status of "traditional religion" (e.g.…”

“…While the church as an institution understandably emphasises its continuity in Russian history, religious rites and everyday practices were largely disbanded or reframed in Soviet times, so that now many individuals perceive the need to acquaint themselves and their children with these old-new practices and the belief system on which they are based. Some authors have discussed this realignment under the term votserkovlenie ("enchurchment") (Benovska-Sabkova et al 2010). The personal ambitions and aspirations that accompany the turn towards religiosity, the stream of communication with others about morality and appropriateness, the combination of a shared set of norms with practical exercise, and the repetitive character of the weekly and annual cycle of congregations add up to an expressive mode of identification, and is thus constitutive of a distinct lifestyle.…”