Religion and Politics in Russia: A Reader

Description

Russia is not only vast, it is also culturally diverse, the core of an empire that spanned Eurasia. In addition to the majority Russian Orthodox and various other Christian groups, the Russian Federation includes large communities of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and members of other religious groups, some with ancient historical roots. All are in a state of ferment, and securing formal state recognition for specific communities is often daunting. This collection provides entry into the diversity of Russia's religious communities. Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer's introduction to the volume illuminates major political, social, and cultural-anthropological trends. The book is organized by religious tradition or identity, with further thematic perspectives on each set of readings. The authors include ethnologists, sociologists, political analysts, and religious leaders from many regions of the Federation. They analyze the changing dynamics of religion and politics within each community and in the context of the current drive to recentralize both political and religious authority in Moscow. Topical coverage extends from reassertions of Russian Orthodoxy to activities of Christian and Muslim missionaries to the revival of many other religions, including indigenous shamanic ones. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 6 List of Figures and Tables......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Part I Christianity: Orthodoxy and Others......Page 34 1. Russia: Trends in Orthodox Religiosity in the Twentieth Century (Statistics and Reality)......Page 36 2. The Icon in the Home: The Home Begins with the Icon......Page 51 3. People of the Schism (1667–2007)......Page 64 4. Russian Lutheranism: Between Protestantism, Catholicism, and Russian Orthodoxy......Page 87 5. Religious Searching and New Religious Organizations: On the Example of the Church of Christ in St. Petersburg......Page 102 6. St. Petersburg’s Catholic Community: The Conversion Phenomenon and the Transformation of Power Relations......Page 121 Part II Islam: Sunnis and Shi’ites in Cultural Perspective......Page 138 7. “Folk Islam” and Muslim Youth of the Central and Northwest Caucasus......Page 142 8. For Us, Religion Is Life......Page 163 9. Anyone for Polygamy? A Marriage Boom in Ingushetia Is Not Expected......Page 175 10. Islam and Muslims in Contemporary Tatarstan......Page 177 Part III Judaism: From Persecution to Revival......Page 186 11. Who Are These Mountain Jews?......Page 188 12. Russian Jews: The Confessional Situation in the Late Twentieth Century......Page 197 13. Judaism Across the Commonwealth of Independent States (Excerpt)......Page 215 Part IV Buddhism: Cultural Variations......Page 224 14. Lamaism......Page 226 15. The Revival of Buddhism in Buryatia: Problems and Prospects......Page 230 16. Buddhists of Russia at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century......Page 249 17. Lamaism in Kalmykia (From Buddhism: A Dictionary)......Page 253 Part V Old and New Religious Movements: Burkhanism and Falun Gong......Page 256 18. Burkhanism in Gorny Altai......Page 258 19. The Phenomenon of “White Faith” in Southern Siberia......Page 278 20. Activity of the Chinese Religious Movement Falun Gong in Russia......Page 291 Part VI Shamanism: Syncretism and Revival of Traditional Worldviews......Page 304 21. Traditional Religious Beliefs of the Peoples of Sayano-Altai and Problems of Religious Syncretism......Page 306 22. The Teleut Ritual Chymyr: Exorcism and Explanation......Page 316 Recommended Readings......Page 334 Index......Page 342 About the Editor......Page 353