Boundaries of the "official church" : local narratives from the Belarusian Orthodox Prošča monastery

Bahdan Serdziuk

doi:10.5817/Rel2026-42775

Boundaries of the "official church" : local narratives from the Belarusian Orthodox Prošča monastery

Roč.34,č.1(2026)

Bahdan Serdziuk

https://doi.org/10.5817/Rel2026-42775

Trvalý odkaz (handle):
http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/digilib.84333

PDF (angličtina)

Abstrakt

This article examines the boundaries of the "official church" through the lens of the lived religion concept using qualitative fieldwork conducted in the Belarusian Orthodox Prošča monastery. The study is based on an anthropological methodology: semi-structured interviews and participant observation, as well as analysis of documents and materials. The main goal is to trace, through the lens of local narratives, how clergy, pilgrims and local residents emically define and negotiate these boundaries in their religious lives. The results show that the concept of the "official church" or "official religion" is indeed important for believers, but it is also highly fluid and context-dependent. This study challenges established dichotomies between "official" and "folk" religion, demonstrating that the boundaries of the "official" are negotiated and redefined in practice, rather than being determined solely by theological doctrine or academic consensus. The study once again highlights the value of an emic perspective, where religion is understood through the lived experience of believers, rather than through imposed analytical categories.

Klíčová slova:
lived religion; Orthodox Christianity; emic; official church; Belarus; Prošča

Stránky:
169–196

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