the social representation of christian orthodox monasticism in contemporary russia
TRANSCRIPT
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
Ksenia [email protected]
Higher School of EconomicsMoscow, Russia
the European Sociological Association the 12th Conference, Prague, 2015
See full text:https://goo.gl/nlxlAi
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
1 100 000 copies in 2011N of monasteries
sources
• 2010-2014: public opinion polls by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (n=1600, representative national surveys)
• 2009: opinion poll by Irina Aster (n=500, St Petersburg and Leningrad region)
• 2011-2015: fieldwork in 4 monasteries• 2013: multimedia national contest ‘Russia 10’
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
• Russia 10: to select ‘10 new visual symbols of Russia by popular vote’
• 220 mln votes received• Semi-final: 30 sites,
including two monasteries • Final: 10 sites, including
the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra (Moscow region)
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
St. Sergius Lavra
What role do monasteries play in contemporary society?
Lake Baikal (58%) Peterhof (48%)
Mamayev Kurgan (46%)St Sergius Lavra (28%)
Kizhi (25%)
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary RussiaBaikal Mamayev Kurgan Peterhof Moscow Kremlin Kizhi
What natural sites and architecture monuments would you call the symbols of Russia?
St Sergius Lavra (3%)
Open-ended Q:
Lake Baikal (20%) (some) Kremlin (17%) Mamayev Kurgan (12%)Peterhof (11%) Moscow Kremlin (10%)
Close-ended Q:
St Sergius Lavra: 3% vs. 28%‘passive vocabulary’
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
Board game ‘Monasteries’
Preparation for a holiday
Passive cultural stock :• Historical (time)• Discursive (space), shrinking
come to
escape from ‘problems and bustle’ (19%) Moving away \ Pushing Coming to \ Pulling
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
Why do people become monks and move away to monasteries?
‘faith and beliefs’ (8%)‘be closer to God’ (6%)‘salvation of the soul’ (6%)‘vocation, desire of the soul, world outlook’ (5%)‘serving God’ (4%)‘spiritual search, the meaning of life’ (4%)‘solitude, tranquility’ (3%)‘their choice’ (3%)‘hopelessness, grief’ (2%)‘weak lonely people with psychological problems’ (2%)‘disappointment in life’ (2%)‘help people spiritually and pray for them’ (2%)‘God’s will’ (1%)
What do monks do?
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia
Sociologist in the field, 2014
Ora et labora 63%: ‘monks save themselves and by this help other people’ (Orthodox 70%, other religions 49%)27%: ‘monks turn in on themselves and are not able to help other people’ (non-believers 48%, other religions 40%)
• ‘Passive cultural stock’ (associated with history, extraordinary sphere)
• Pushing & Pulling motives • A hard-working “prayful” monk that can help
other people
The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia: conclusion