Honors Theses
Date of Award
1-1-2010
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Croft Institute for International Studies
First Advisor
Ahmet Yukleyen
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
HARRISON FORD: Religious Nationalism in the Post-Soviet Sphere: A Case Study of the Relationship Between the Russian Orthodox Church and Georgian Orthodox Church During the FiveDay War (Under the direction of Dr. Ahmet Yukleyen)
This thesis explores religious nationalism through the study of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and its relationship with the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC). Its focus is mainly on the time period immediately before and after Russia-Georgia 2008 conflict, but relevant history of the relationship between the two will be discussed to provide context.
In the post-Soviet era, the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Federation conduct what I refer to as "parallel conflicts," or conflicts that exist in the same area and over the same issues. In parallel conflicts, the ROC and Russian Federation are marked for the amount of cooperation that they share in dealing with these issues. Many scholars and political analysts have concluded that this symbiotic relationship results in a form of religious nationalism that the ROC and Russian Federation are trying to use in the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union to regain the influence they lost after the collapse of the USSR.
This thesis explores the relationship between the ROC and the GOC to try and determine whether or not this claim is valid. Before and after the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict, the ROC and GOC displayed a relationship that was different from other parallel conflicts. The Russian Federation engaged in an armed conflict with Georgia while the ROC decried the conflict and respected the GOC's canonical integrity. This thesis asks the question: what was the relationship of the ROC and the GOC during the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict, and what does this relationship say about the religious nationalism of the ROC?
Recommended Citation
Ford, Harrison, "Religious Nationalism in the Post-Soviet World: A Case Study of the Relationship Between the Russian Orthodox Church and Georgian Orthodox Church During the Five-Day War" (2010). Honors Theses. 2775.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2775
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