Kaarina Aitamurto - Böcker

Since the fall of communist systems across Central and Eastern Europe in the late twentieth century, Slavic Native Faith has matured as a religious movement across the region. This diverse movement is comprised of many local and national forms bearing a variety of names, including Rodnoverie and Ridnovirstvo. They all share a primary emphasis on Slavic identity and cherish nativeness as a sacred value. This Element examines who the adherents of Slavic Native Faith are and what they believe. It looks at why these groups continue to grow, evolve, and develop in the twenty-first century, with communities generally becoming more representative of the population at large. Increasingly they find themselves as significant participants in the societies they inhabit, still marginal and small, but visible in the arts and popular culture. Case studies from a dozen different nations demonstrate both differences and similarities within this expanding movement.

Since the fall of communist systems across Central and Eastern Europe in the late twentieth century, Slavic Native Faith has matured as a religious movement across the region. This diverse movement is comprised of many local and national forms bearing a variety of names, including Rodnoverie and Ridnovirstvo. They all share a primary emphasis on Slavic identity and cherish nativeness as a sacred value. This Element examines who the adherents of Slavic Native Faith are and what they believe. It looks at why these groups continue to grow, evolve, and develop in the twenty-first century, with communities generally becoming more representative of the population at large. Increasingly they find themselves as significant participants in the societies they inhabit, still marginal and small, but visible in the arts and popular culture. Case studies from a dozen different nations demonstrate both differences and similarities within this expanding movement.

Rodnoverie was one of the first new religious movements to emerge following the collapse of the Soviet Union, its development providing an important lens through which to view changes in post-Soviet religious and political life. Rodnovers view social and political issues as inseparably linked to their religiosity but do not reflect the liberal values dominant among Western Pagans. Indeed, among the conservative and nationalist movements often associated with Rodnoverie in Russia, traditional anti-Western and anti-Semitic rhetoric has recently been overshadowed by anti-Islam and anti-migrant tendencies. Providing a fascinating overview of the history, organisations, adherents, beliefs and practices of Rodnoverie this book presents several different narratives; as a revival of the native Russian or Slavic religion, as a nature religion and as an alternative to modern values and lifestyles. Drawing upon primary sources, documents and books this analysis is supplemented with extensive fieldwork carried out among Rodnoverie communities in Russia and will be of interest to scholars of post-Soviet society, new religious movements and contemporary Paganism in general.

Russia has a very large pool of economic migrants, up to 25% of the workforce according to some estimates. Although many migrants, many from former Soviet countries which are now independent, entered Russia legally, they frequently face bureaucratic obstacles to legal employment and Russian citizenship, factors which have led to a very large “shadow economy”. This book presents a comprehensive examination of migrant labour in Russia. It describes the nature of migrant labour, explores the shadow economy and its unfortunate consequences, and discusses the rise of popular sentiment against migrants and the likely impact. The book also sets the Russian experiences of migrant labour in context, comparing the situation in Russia with that in other countries with significant migrant labour workforces.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Russia has a very large pool of economic migrants, up to 25% of the workforce according to some estimates. Although many migrants, many from former Soviet countries which are now independent, entered Russia legally, they frequently face bureaucratic obstacles to legal employment and Russian citizenship, factors which have led to a very large “shadow economy”. This book presents a comprehensive examination of migrant labour in Russia. It describes the nature of migrant labour, explores the shadow economy and its unfortunate consequences, and discusses the rise of popular sentiment against migrants and the likely impact. The book also sets the Russian experiences of migrant labour in context, comparing the situation in Russia with that in other countries with significant migrant labour workforces.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Providing an intensive and up-to-date analysis of far-right, ethno-purist and nationalistic currents as well as the inclusive visions for social and ecological change, this book explores the complexities of contemporary Slavic and Germanic Paganisms.This timely volume re-evaluates what we know about contemporary Paganism, particularly addressing the social threat and impact of radicalism. In light of the war in Ukraine, the authors deconstruct heritage narratives that are at the heart of current geopolitical and nationalist social tensions in Central and Eastern Europe including the West versus East problem. With suggestions on how we can mitigate and overcome the potential security threats connected to radical forms of Paganisms, this book shows how minority groups are advancing solutions to global challenges.Exploring multiple perspectives through a diverse blend of contributors, this volume bridges the gap between academia, governmental institutions and Pagan communities, providing a rich resource for all parties. Highlighting broader religious and security issues, this volume is the first to consider the dialogue between ethno-exclusivist and inclusivist positioning within contemporary Slavic and Germanic Paganisms.

Providing an intensive and up-to-date analysis of far-right, ethno-purist and nationalistic currents as well as the inclusive visions for social and ecological change, this book explores the complexities of contemporary Slavic and Germanic Paganisms.This timely volume re-evaluates what we know about contemporary Paganism, particularly addressing the social threat and impact of radicalism. In light of the war in Ukraine, the authors deconstruct heritage narratives that are at the heart of current geopolitical and nationalist social tensions in Central and Eastern Europe including the West versus East problem. With suggestions on how we can mitigate and overcome the potential security threats connected to radical forms of Paganisms, this book shows how minority groups are advancing solutions to global challenges.Exploring multiple perspectives through a diverse blend of contributors, this volume bridges the gap between academia, governmental institutions and Pagan communities, providing a rich resource for all parties. Highlighting broader religious and security issues, this volume is the first to consider the dialogue between ethno-exclusivist and inclusivist positioning within contemporary Slavic and Germanic Paganisms.

Rodnoverie was one of the first new religious movements to emerge following the collapse of the Soviet Union, its development providing an important lens through which to view changes in post-Soviet religious and political life. Rodnovers view social and political issues as inseparably linked to their religiosity but do not reflect the liberal values dominant among Western Pagans. Indeed, among the conservative and nationalist movements often associated with Rodnoverie in Russia, traditional anti-Western and anti-Semitic rhetoric has recently been overshadowed by anti-Islam and anti-migrant tendencies. Providing a fascinating overview of the history, organisations, adherents, beliefs and practices of Rodnoverie this book presents several different narratives; as a revival of the native Russian or Slavic religion, as a nature religion and as an alternative to modern values and lifestyles. Drawing upon primary sources, documents and books this analysis is supplemented with extensive fieldwork carried out among Rodnoverie communities in Russia and will be of interest to scholars of post-Soviet society, new religious movements and contemporary Paganism in general.

The resurgence of religiosity in post-communist Europe has been widely noted, but the full spectrum of religious practice in the diverse countries of Central and Eastern Europe has been effectively hidden behind the region's range of languages and cultures. This volume presents an overview of one of the most notable developments in the region, the rise of Pagan and "Native Faith" movements. Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe brings together scholars from across the region to present both systematic country overviews - of Armenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, and Ukraine - as well as essays exploring specific themes such as racism and the internet. The volume will be of interest to scholars of new religious movements especially those looking for a more comprehensive picture of contemporary paganism beyond the English-speaking world.