Religion Commons^™

Pentecostals In The Ukrainian Ssr During Collectivization And The Holodomor Of 1930–1933: Socio-Adaptive Survival Practices, Oleksandr Korotaiev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the social adaptation and survival practices of Pentecostal communities in the Ukrainian SSR under the conditions of forced collectivization, dekulakization, and the Holodomor of 1930–1933. Drawing on criminal-investigative case files of the GPU, top-secret Soviet security service documents, party and state decrees, and testimonies of contemporaries, the study reconstructs individual, family, and communal strategies employed by believers in response to systematic state violence. Particular attention is devoted to Pentecostal communities in the Odesa okrug, especially the village of Holma in the Balta district, where Soviet repressive policies manifested themselves through a combination of economic pressure, religious persecution, …

Marriage Governance In Kyrgyzstan: Convergence And Divergence Between Secular Law, Islamic Norms, And Customary Practices, Aisuluu Adylbekkyzy, Zailabidin Azhimamatov, Aiitmamat Kariev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Marriage governance in Kyrgyzstan is shaped by the coexistence of secular law, Islamic norms, and customary law), creating a plural legal environment in which multiple sources of authority regulate family relations. This study examines how these normative systems interact in the governance of marriage, identifies areas of convergence and divergence, and explores their implications for legal legitimacy and family regulation. Employing a qualitative socio-legal methodology grounded in legal pluralism theory, the research draws on documentary and comparative analysis of legal texts, Islamic sources, official religious guidance, and relevant scholarly literature. The findings demonstrate that marriage governance in Kyrgyzstan operates through …

Janusz Krupski And His Times: Moral Rearmament From A Historical And Religious Perspective, Christopher Garbowski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper explores the concept of moral rearmament in contemporary East-Central Europe through the historical and religious legacy of Polish anti-communist opposition figure Janusz Krupski (1951–2010). Responding to sociologist Frank Furedi’s critique regarding the "moral disarmament" of the West, the author contends that religion serves as an essential—and frequently overlooked—pillar in restoring historical consciousness and moral resilience against totalitarian and geopolitical threats.

Focusing on the unique intellectual ecosystem of the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) during the communist regime, the article details Krupski’s pioneering role in establishing an underground publishing movement, most notably the independent Catholic journal Spotkania (Encounters …

The Phenomenon Of Existential Ecumenism In Contemporary Ukraine, Iryna Kondratieva, Andrii Marchenko, Oleksii Marchenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

An analysis of existential ecumenism as a dimension of inter-church unity, which is being formed in modern Ukraine due to a common existential threat from the Russian aggressor, when Ukrainian churches unite in an ecumenical response to war crimes, focusing on practical cooperation in real life, on the tasks of social service, and not on existing doctrinal or institutional differences. Existential ecumenism combines the main ideas of existential philosophy, with its emphasis on the value of the human person, the significance of the themes of human freedom and human choice in the face of meaninglessness and death, and ecumenism as …

The Religious Dimension Of The Seasonality Of Marriage In Right-Bank Ukraine In The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries, Oleksandr Maksymov, Oleh Sokolovskyi, Maryna Lysak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the religious influence on the regulation of the demographic behavior of the population, in particular the seasonality of marriages, using the example of the Orthodox parish of the village of Biloshytsi, Ovruch County, Volhynian Governorate, in the last quarter of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. The study is based on an analysis of the metric records of St. Dmytro’s Church and archival sources, which make it possible to trace the peculiarities of the marital behavior of the parish community. Particular attention is paid to the institutional influence of the Orthodox Church on the regulation of …

Hybrid Identity And Religious Radicalization: On The Effectiveness Of Kazakhstan's State Policy, Sholpan Zhandossova, Marhabbat Nurov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the relationship between hybrid identity and religious radicalization in Kazakhstan, arguing that state policy has been built on a systematically inverted risk hierarchy. Drawing on secondary analysis of longitudinal sociological surveys, expert assessments, and official statistics, the article demonstrates that the intensity of religious practice is a statistically non-significant predictor of radicalization (ρ=+0.18; p>0.05), whereas identity fragmentation– the internal incoherence between competing ethnic, Soviet-secular, Islamic, and civic- Kazakhstani identity layers–carries the strongest positive correlation (ρ=+0.61; p<0.001). The normative architecture constructed between 2011 and 2024 is evaluated against these empirical predictors across four analytical levels: longitudinal trend analysis, regional identity profiling, factor correlation analysis, and institutional trust trajectories. The article finds that successive policy instruments have concentrated institutional resources on the weakest risk factor while leaving the strongest predictors structurally unaddressed. The post-2016 decline in registered criminal cases is attributed primarily to the organizational collapse of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as a recruitment structure rather than to domestic policy effectiveness. Trust in the state-affiliated religious authority declined by twenty percentage points over the period of maximum normative intensity–an outcome directly contrary to policy intent. The article concludes with three evidence-based corrective directions: reorienting the diagnostic framework toward monitoring identity fragmentation, recovering protective social factors as explicit policy targets, and restructuring formal religious authority to allow community-derived legitimacy to carry preventive functions.

Book Review: Ryszard Tyndorf With Rev. Zygmunt Zieliński, Wartime Rescue Of Jews By The Polish Catholic Clergy: The Testimony Of Survivors And Rescuers, John M. Grondelski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Ryszard Tyndorf with Rev. Zygmunt Zieliński, Wartime Rescue of Jews by the Polish Catholic Clergy: The Testimony of Survivors and Rescuers. Lublin, Poland: Heschel Center, Wydawnictwo KUL, 2023. 2 vols., HB. ISBN 978-83-8288-087-8//088-5.

Religious Transformation In The Post-Soviet Space: On The Example Of Kyrgyzstan, Atabek Galmamatov, Sagynbek Kozuev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the process of religious transformation in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, focusing particularly on its institutional, social, cultural, and political dimensions. The study aims to identify the main characteristics of religious transformation, analyze the factors that have shaped its development, and assess its implications for contemporary Kyrgyz society. Methodologically, the research combines historical, comparative, and qualitative approaches to examine changes from the Soviet period to the present. The analysis demonstrates that the collapse of Soviet atheistic ideology and the expansion of religious freedom created favorable conditions for the revival of religious institutions, the growth of mosques and madrassas 1 , …

Faith Between Coercion And Freedom: Religious Policy, Repressions, And Cultural Memory In Ukraine From The Soviet Era To The Present, Andrii Fesenko, Illya Lukovenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A comprehensive historical and religious studies analysis of the evolution of Church- state relations, repressive practices, and transformations of cultural memory in Ukraine from the Soviet era to contemporary wartime challenges. The mechanisms of Soviet "spiritual genocide" as an institutional prelude to the Holodomor are examined, accompanied by the destruction of religious infrastructure, confiscation of property, and deprivation of legal status of religious communities. The formation of the contemporary Ukrainian model of Church- state relations, which is grounded in the principles of religious pluralism, partnership, and the separation of Church and state as a direct antithesis to state-imposed totalitarian atheism. …

Churches And Religious Communities In The Macedonian Constitution: Competing Visions Of Recognition And Equality, 1991-2001, Aleksandar Spasenovski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines competing constitutional visions concerning churches and religious communities at two defining moments in the Macedonian constitutional order: the adoption of the 1991 Constitution and the amendments of 2001. Through a legal-historical analysis of constitutional provisions, proposed amendments, and parliamentary debates, it reconstructs four competing proposals from 1991: the designation of Orthodox Christianity as the official religion, special constitutional status for the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the joint recognition of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Islamic Religious Community, and a general separation-and-equality clause without naming particular religious organizations. The analysis relates these proposals to the political orientations of …

Mechanisms For Preventing Online Religious Discord: A Comparative Analysis Of Kazakhstani Experience And International Models For Regulating Religious Hate Speech, Kalmakhan Yerzhan, Lyazzat Kalybekova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The ever-increasing speed at which information spreads on the internet is giving rise to several serious challenges alongside its undeniable positive trends. This is especially clear in the increasing threat of online publications and comments that insult religious beliefs and incite discord, posing a risk of victimisation. Western researchers are conducting extensive studies on the definition and application of hate speech, its taxonomy, targeting, and prevention through artificial intelligence tools; studies grounded in the religious dimension are especially notable for highlighting the high relevance of these issues in today's complex geopolitical environment. Nevertheless, the majority of researchers argue that religion-based …

The Religious Field In Poland Under The Pressure Of Ukrainian Migration, Oleksandr Dobroier

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

An analysis of the transformation of the religious field in Poland between 2014 and 2024 in light of Ukrainian wartime migration. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the religious field as its conceptual framework, the study explores the redistribution of symbolic capital, the evolution of religious habitus, and the emergence of new actors within the field. Particular attention is given to the Roman Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and evangelical communities. The study reveals a weakening of the RCC’s monopoly and an expansion of symbolic legitimacy among previously peripheral …

Reconciling Faith And Modernity: The Sociocultural Dynamics Of Jadidism As An Islamic Reformist Movement In The Russian Empire, Meltem Akıncı, Zhanerke Nyshanbay

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This study examines the Jadidist movement as a fundamental sociocultural and religious- reformist phenomenon that redefined the intellectual, spiritual, and educational landscape of the Turkic-Muslim populations within the Russian Empire and Central Asia. Moving beyond traditional historical narratives, this article analyzes Jadidism through the lens of sociological theories of modernization, cultural identity, and transnational intellectual exchange, placing special emphasis on its Islamic reformist core. By integrating Western secular pedagogical models with indigenous Islamic renewal discourse, Jadidists attempted to navigate the delicate tension between religious tradition and modern demands. The research investigates the institutional development of "Usul-i Jadid" schools, the role …

Frontmatter (Volume 46, Issue 4), Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Theological Foundations And Regional Adaptation Of Jihadist Ideology In Russia: Case Of The North Caucasus, Tilekkabyl Amangeldi, Gulzhan Rasheva

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The growth of jihadist movements in the post-Soviet space has generated significant scholarly interest in the ideological and theological mechanisms that sustain militant mobilization. Russia, particularly the North Caucasus, represents an important regional context where global jihadist doctrines intersect with local political conflicts and historical narratives of resistance. This article examines the theological foundations of Russian jihadist movements in order to understand how militant actors reinterpret Islamic doctrines to legitimize violence and construct ideological authority. The study aims to analyze the key theological concepts that shape jihadist discourse in Russia and to explore how global Salafi-jihadist ideology has been adapted …

The Symbolic Language Of Militarized Orthodoxy In Patriarchal Sermons, Architecture, And Pseudo-Historical Memory, Oleksandr Lukyanenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to a comprehensive cultural and religious analysis of the processes of militarization of religious worldview in modern Russia using the example of public speeches of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, as well as the symbolic space of the Main Temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Particular attention is paid to the study of the mechanisms of sacralization of war through the integration of historical memory, Orthodox rhetoric and the state ideology of the “Russian world”. The study analyzes the peculiarities of the interpretation of World War II as the sacred foundation of modern Russian …

Religious Norms In The Mechanisms Of Legal Regulation Of Freedom Of Conscience In Modern States, Mykola Lahodych

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article is devoted to role of religious norms in the legal regulation of freedom of conscience, with a special focus on the institutional interaction in modern democratic societies between religious organizations and the state, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. The extant scholarly literature has addressed first and foremost the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and church autonomy. However, less attention has been devoted to the institutional mechanisms through which religious norms operate within public administration. The study utilizes comparative legal analysis, institutional analysis, discourse analysis of official church documents and qualitative analysis of 28 judicial and institutional cases …

Saint Sophia Of Kyiv As A Sacred Space Of Religious Memory And National Identity, Oleh Sokolovskyi, Olha Hordiichuk, Viktoriia Omelchenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines Saint Sophia of Kyiv as a sacred space where religious memory, Christian symbolism, sacred geography, and national identity intersect. Using historical, hermeneutic, cultural-studies, and discourse approaches, it analyzes the cathedral’s architecture and iconography, particularly the Virgin Orans, the “Unshakable Wall,” and the concepts of Kyiv as the Second and New Jerusalem. The study demonstrates how medieval Christian meanings have been preserved, transformed, and reactivated within cultural and religious memory. It argues that, particularly during Russia’s war against Ukraine, Saint Sophia functions as a dynamic symbolic space where sacred meanings interact with contemporary national identity, historical continuity, and …

The Bureaucratization Of Faith: Appointed Clerics And The Limits Of Tsarist Administrative Control In The Kazakh Steppe, Zharas Akhan, Kanat Uskembaev

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article explores the religious policy of the Russian Empire in the Kazakh Steppe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, focusing on the state's institutional efforts to co-opt and instrumentalize the Islamic clergy for colonial governance. Drawing on administrative and archival data, the study examines how Tsarist authorities leveraged imperial religious frameworks to deploy state-appointed Tatar mullahs into Kazakh society and formalize the middle-tier religious office of the akhund. Taking the Bukei Horde under Jangir Khan as a critical case study, the author illustrates how religious titles were integrated into the imperial bureaucratic apparatus to enforce political loyalty and …

Daily Religious Life Of Muslims In Kazakhstan And Central Asia During The Soviet Period: Controlled Institutions, Unofficial Islam, And Atheist Policy, Adiyet Kairken, Kuralay Aubakirova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The core focus of this study is the dialectic between the anti-religious policies enforced by the Soviet totalitarian regime in Central Asia and Kazakhstan and the resilience of Muslim communities in preserving their spiritual and cultural identity. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the daily religious lives of Muslims under Soviet rule, examining the constraints placed on religious obligations and the functions of state-controlled religious institutions. The research investigates the mechanisms of the state apparatus, including atheist propaganda techniques, educational campaigns targeting the youth, and the role of official religious directorates. Furthermore, the study identifies the significance of underground …