ABSTRACT
The introduction presents the main research problem: The depth of the socio-cultural change associated with the resumption of religious life in Russia after 1988 and how such a transformation of Russian society was possible. Considering the damage of Soviet repressive atheistic politics that lasted 70 years, how could Orthodox Christianity become the important force in both the Russian public sphere and everyday life that it has become after the end of socialism? Additionally, the introduction addresses two associated problems: the novelty of this book in the context of existing studies and why the reader should trust the author’s findings and conclusions. It outlines the contexts, frame, and scope of the research in theoretical and empirical terms.
The Introduction presents a short theoretical outline of the recent developments and debates in the anthropologies of religion and of Christianity, with special focus on the study of Orthodox Christianity in post-Soviet Russia. This is followed by a consideration of fieldwork as a means for the production of knowledge. Special attention is given to the problems posed by the “close otherness” of the scholar, i.e. her intermediate position as both internal (Orthodox) and external (a person of foreign nationality); ethical dilemmas regarding the question of participation in liturgical life studied by the scholar.
