Slezkine, Yuri (1993) Savage Christians or Unorthodox Russians? The Missionary Dilemma in Siberia. In: Between Heaven and Hell: The Myth of Siberia in Russian Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 15-31. ISBN 978-0312060725
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Siberia can be defined only through Russia and in opposition to it. Siberia is real to the extent that it is different from Russia (in time, in space, and in essence) and insofar as it is attached to it (Siberia is by definition the Russian part of northern Asia). Similarly, the inhabitants of Siberia are “the other Russians,” depicted as movingly innocent or hopelessly retarded versions of the original. There are, however, “the other Siberians”: people who are not covered by the Russian word Sibiriak and who are defined exclusively through difference; people who are savages, aliens, or natives because they are not Russians. The greatest challenge that these “pre-Siberian” Siberians pose for those who attempt to classify them is, first, what makes them different (and hence what makes Russians Russian) and second, what should one do about this difference? Of all the groups and institutions that felt it their duty to provide answers to these questions, the Russian Orthodox Church was among the most consistent: The “real” difference was in one’s faith, and as there was only one true faith, the obvious way to overcome this difference was by conversion. The problem was that other groups and institutions—particularly the state—frequently disagreed on both scores, and that the missionaries themselves were not always unanimous on the meaning of “true faith” and “successful conversion.”
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | A Church/mission history C Types of Christian Ministry > Missionaries G Christian traditions/Denominations > Eastern Orthodox |
| Divisions: | Former Soviet Union > Russian Federation |
| Depositing User: | Katharina Penner |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Nov 2024 06:37 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Nov 2024 06:37 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/3041 |
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