the social representation of christian orthodox monasticism in contemporary russia

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The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia Ksenia Medvedeva [email protected] Higher School of Economics Moscow, Russia the European Sociological Association the 12th Conference, Prague, 2015 See full text: https :// goo.gl/nlxlAi

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Page 1: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

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

Page 2: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

1 100 000 copies in 2011N of monasteries

Page 3: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

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

Page 4: 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?

Page 5: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

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:

Page 6: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

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

Page 7: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

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%)

Page 8: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

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%)

Page 9: The social representation of Christian Orthodox monasticism in contemporary Russia

• ‘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