Kathy Rousselet

Introduction: What Does it Mean to be a Patriot?

The accession to power of Vladimir Putin in 2000 was followed by a policy of national revival that crystallised under the banner of patriotism. Several government-sponsored programmes of ‘patriotic...

The Russian Orthodox Church and Reconciliation with the Soviet Past

The history of the Soviet Union, and particularly that of political repression, is a key political issue in Russia. The figure of Stalin has deeply divided the population. This certainly explains why the memo-rialization of mass repression in Russia remains limited. Far from being encouraged by the state, specific initiatives have been the work of isolated individuals and associations, such as Memorial, a historical and human rights society. Following the interest generated by Stalinist history in the 1980s and early 1990s, the general attitude of the population today seems to be characterized not so much by oblivion, but by a certain indifference.1 In this context, as the Russian Orthodox Church was accused during the collapse of the Soviet Union of having compromised its principles with the Soviet regime, the church has progressively become the principal official actor in the process of memorialization. Some of the political ideas that are mobilized by the church are to a great extent in line with what the elites and an important part of Russian society are ready to accept about the past.

The Church in the Service of the Fatherland

The Russian Orthodox Church intensifies activities that it labels as patriotic activities and is an important participant in the patriotic education programmes organised by the state. Going beyond institutional types of discourse, this essay examines how believers experience patriotism in their daily lives, how religion nurtures the patriotic sentiment. Priests and the laity present themselves as being in the service of a country in combat. The Orthodox Church combines various moral values, which are at the heart of the patriotism of believers. Russian religious patriots have different relations with the state, and their patriotism sometimes diverges from the official calls. This essay draws on Church publications, interviews with priests and laity since 2008 and observation of religious events.

Prêtre à l’heure des bouleversements politiques en Russie

Several studies have been devoted to changes in the Russian Orthodox Church following the new legislation on religion in the Soviet Union and then in Russia. Little work has been done, however, on how religious officials perceived the social, political turmoil of the period from 1980 to 1990. A qualitative survey carried out between 2008 and 2011 casts new light on this period through a change of scale. How did these political events, considered to mark a break in Russian history, affect or foster new religious commitments? How did priests experience this upheaval? How was their religious commitment related to the country’s political history?

Un débat théorique en Union soviétique / A Theoretical Debate in Soviet Union.

Rousselet Kathy. Un debat theorique en Union sovietique / A Theoretical Debate in Soviet Union.. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°65/1, 1988. pp. 47-53.