The Conflict Of Orthodox Narratives In Ukrainian Society: Searching For A Methodology To Analyze The Religious Crisis
As a result of the study, we were able to establish that the crisis of Ukrainian Orthodoxy is a conflict that has a clear linguistic and symbolic dimension. In order to analyze the conflict between Orthodox actors, it is advisable to use a critical-reflective methodology that allows for the analysis...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
George Fox University
2024
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| In: |
Occasional papers on religion in Eastern Europe
Year: 2024, Volume: 44, Issue: 3, Pages: 13-31 |
| Further subjects: | B
symbolic field
B media discourse B media space B narrative conflict B discursive power B political discourse of religions |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | As a result of the study, we were able to establish that the crisis of Ukrainian Orthodoxy is a conflict that has a clear linguistic and symbolic dimension. In order to analyze the conflict between Orthodox actors, it is advisable to use a critical-reflective methodology that allows for the analysis of both theological language and the tools that form this language. We have been able to establish that the Orthodox crisis in Ukraine reflects a conflict between the religious narratives and practices of the UOC and the OCU, the root cause of which is an internal crisis between the narratives of the evangelical community and the narratives of the confession, when the governing church structures pass off the goals of self-preservation as the ideals of the Church of Christ. The impossibility of a productive dialogue between the UOC and the OCU is due to different assessments of history and current events, as well as different political and corporate interests. In the case of the UOC, we are faced with the phenomenon of a stable conservative corporate identity based on sympathy for the ideas of the "russian world,"1 reinforced by the fear of losing symbolic power, the unwillingness to enter into dialogue with the OCU and the unwillingness to modernize. After receiving the Tomos, the OCU destroyed the UOC's monopoly on symbolic power. It proved its canonical equality in the Ecumenical Church. The OCU is trying to force the UOC to enter into a public dialogue on equal terms, to officially break relations with the ROC and thus to weaken its legitimacy. The main problem of the UOC is the loss of a vital connection with the political and cultural context of society, which has changed dramatically. A situation of conflict between canonical and political narratives has developed between the jurisdictions, which the denominations cannot overcome on their own. At the level of the church leadership of both denominations, it is impossible to resolve the issue of unification. However, Ukrainian Orthodoxy is capable of a productive dialogue at the level of laity, priests and theologians. Unification efforts should focus on unifying narratives and use a methodology of critiquing the negative narratives of both sides. Civil society is an important social base around whose values Orthodoxy should unite. The symbolic space of civil society is also a prerequisite for social peace and productive interaction between church and state. |
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| ISSN: | 2693-2148 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Occasional papers on religion in Eastern Europe
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.55221/2693-2229.2494 |