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Orthodoxy, Islam, and the Desecularization of Russia's State Schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2010

Elena Lisovskaya  and
Vyacheslav Karpov
Elena Lisovskaya*
Affiliation:
Western Michigan University
Vyacheslav Karpov*
Affiliation:
Western Michigan University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Elena Lisovskaya or Vyacheslav Karpov. Department of Sociology, 3822 Edinburgh Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49006. E-mails: [email protected], or [email protected]
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Elena Lisovskaya or Vyacheslav Karpov. Department of Sociology, 3822 Edinburgh Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49006. E-mails: [email protected], or [email protected]
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Abstract

This article explores the social origins and consequences of Orthodox-Muslim tensions surrounding the attempts to find a place for religion in Russia's state schools. It demonstrates that the Orthodox-Muslim tensions are an inevitable outcome of what we define as Russia's pattern of “desecularization from above.” The attempts to restore religious education are carried out by alliances of top religious and political elites, which almost by default focus on the state-run schools. These attempts run into serious social and institutional constraints, and generate considerable Orthodox-Muslim tensions and controversies spilling over to public opinion. On the surface, the Orthodox-Muslim tensions often appear in the form ironically resembling “culture wars” between religious traditionalists and secularists in the West. Our survey data indicate that public support for religious instruction in state-run schools has reached high levels and is infused with a noticeable element of religious intolerance. We predict that further attempts to desecularize Russia's state schools “from above” may have destabilizing effects in society and fuel ethno-religious tensions.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 3 , Special Issue 2: Post-communist Eastern Europe and the Caucasus , August 2010 , pp. 276 - 302
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2010

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