Orthodox Religious Organizations in the Context of Transformation of State-Confessional Relations (1985-1997): Problems And Features (the Case of the Dagestan Republic)
Abstract
The increased importance of the religious factor, which influences various aspects of social life, has made it relevant for current academic research. The interrelation of this factor with the political history of Russia makes it one of the most complex and priority areas in the confessional policy of the State, and provokes the rethinking of Russia’s policy in the national regions. The issues related to the relationship between official authorities and Orthodox organizations in polyconfessional regions with a predominance of Muslim populations, particularly in Dagestan are of particular interest for us. The absence of historical interpretations on the history of Orthodox organizations in the transitional and post-Soviet periods makes the stated subject topical for identifying and introducing into scientific circulation a specific material that regional studies can provide. Proceeding from the above, in the proposed paper for the first time in regional historiography we’ve made an attempt to consider the transformation processes in the socio-political situation in the country during the transitional and first decade of the post-Soviet period (1985-1997) and their influence on the development of the Orthodox religion, Christian believers and clergy in Dagestan. We’ve made conclusion about the latent process of religious orthodox revival in the republic against the background of the general spiritual crisis in the country during the transitional period of history, conditioned by the continuing policy of “state atheism”. Atheistic worldview of governing bodies often influenced the process of building relationships with religious organizations and was characterized as “ambiguous”. Religious renaissance in the first half of the 1990s in Dagestan had its own local features, due to the deterioration of the socio-political background of the republic and was accompanied by factors that adversely affect the position of Orthodoxy here. Authots’ contribution: O.B. Khalidova is responsible for the idea, literature review, data interpretation, paper compilation and edition; G.F. Gebekov has carried out the analysis and intepretation of sociological poll data.
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