Presentation Title
In The Church's Image: How the Russian Orthodox Church is Influencing Russian Youth through the Public Education System
Abstract
Russians living in the Russian Federation after the election of President Putin are caught in a complex web of shifting ideologies and national values. During the Soviet period, human fulfillment and purpose were clearly measured through soviet values like service to fellow citizens, the state, and collectivization of society. Although religion in communist Russia was never formally banned, the Bolsheviks took painstaking measures to legislate it out of public practice and government. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic chaos of the 1990s, these soviet values no longer remained steadfast for the Russian people. A vacuum soon formed, eventually leading to a new ideological framework. The Russian Orthodox Church took this opportunity to reinsert Orthodox values into the everyday conception of Russian identity through efforts to shape educational policy. In particular, the “Образовательная концепция русской православной церкви”/Educational Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church, advocates for the teaching of culture, history, literature, dogma, and values of loyalty through religious curricula. This represents an important shift in the Russian cultural narrative, and is most strongly directed at the “молодежь” (youth) in Russia. My research will examine the motivation behind the Russian Orthodox Church’s initiative to incorporate youth into its doctrine, investigate how this opened the door to partnerships between the Russian government and the Church. Ultimately, I argue that this represents a new form of authoritarianism for both the Russian government and Church, which has come to resemble the 19th century power axis of nationalism, autocracy, and Orthodoxy.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Kevin McKenna
Secondary Mentor Name
Kat Scollins
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Russian
Second Program/Major
Political Science
Primary Research Category
Arts & Humanities
In The Church's Image: How the Russian Orthodox Church is Influencing Russian Youth through the Public Education System
Russians living in the Russian Federation after the election of President Putin are caught in a complex web of shifting ideologies and national values. During the Soviet period, human fulfillment and purpose were clearly measured through soviet values like service to fellow citizens, the state, and collectivization of society. Although religion in communist Russia was never formally banned, the Bolsheviks took painstaking measures to legislate it out of public practice and government. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic chaos of the 1990s, these soviet values no longer remained steadfast for the Russian people. A vacuum soon formed, eventually leading to a new ideological framework. The Russian Orthodox Church took this opportunity to reinsert Orthodox values into the everyday conception of Russian identity through efforts to shape educational policy. In particular, the “Образовательная концепция русской православной церкви”/Educational Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church, advocates for the teaching of culture, history, literature, dogma, and values of loyalty through religious curricula. This represents an important shift in the Russian cultural narrative, and is most strongly directed at the “молодежь” (youth) in Russia. My research will examine the motivation behind the Russian Orthodox Church’s initiative to incorporate youth into its doctrine, investigate how this opened the door to partnerships between the Russian government and the Church. Ultimately, I argue that this represents a new form of authoritarianism for both the Russian government and Church, which has come to resemble the 19th century power axis of nationalism, autocracy, and Orthodoxy.