Orthodoxy and Nation-Building in Post-Soviet Russia: A Comparative Analysis of the Textbook  Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture  by Andrei Kuraev and the Reading Tool  Polite Alphabet

While Western countries are facing a phenomenon of De-Christianization, Russian Orthodoxy, after almost a century of partial extinction, seems to be reviving with the Russian population on the path to Re-Christianization. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is playing an active role to claim its privileged and historically-rooted position in Russian society. After the collapse of the USSR and consequently the end of a communist ideology, the Russian population suffered from an identity vacuum. The ROC seized the opportunity to help Russians find their national and cultural identity within Orthodoxy. Thus, introducing religious education in the curriculum appears like a suitable way to inculcate Orthodox traditional values in young elementary students. In 2012, a new program incorporating six modules on ethics and religion was introduced in primary schools in the whole Russia. The parents can choose between the different modules and the second most popular and widespread module is the...Show moreWhile Western countries are facing a phenomenon of De-Christianization, Russian Orthodoxy, after almost a century of partial extinction, seems to be reviving with the Russian population on the path to Re-Christianization. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is playing an active role to claim its privileged and historically-rooted position in Russian society. After the collapse of the USSR and consequently the end of a communist ideology, the Russian population suffered from an identity vacuum. The ROC seized the opportunity to help Russians find their national and cultural identity within Orthodoxy. Thus, introducing religious education in the curriculum appears like a suitable way to inculcate Orthodox traditional values in young elementary students. In 2012, a new program incorporating six modules on ethics and religion was introduced in primary schools in the whole Russia. The parents can choose between the different modules and the second most popular and widespread module is the one dealing with the Russian Orthodox culture. In this thesis, I compare two primary sources, one is a textbook for 4th grade student on the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture written by Andrei Kuraev (an Orthodox theologian) and the other one is an alphabet called “the polite alphabet” taught to students in primary schools in the Irkutsk region (Siberia). I explore how these two school materials construct a national and cultural identity rooted in Orthodox values by using a multimodal discourse analysis.Show less

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Orthodoxy and Nation-Building in Post-Soviet Russia: A Comparative Analysis of the Textbook Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture by Andrei Kuraev and the Reading Tool Polite Alphabet