Icons Axed, Freedoms Lost: Russian Desecularization and a Ukrainian Alternative
Department
Sociology
Document Type
Book
Files
Description
In Icons Axed, Freedoms Lost, Vyacheslav Karpov and Rachel L. Schroeder demonstrate how Russia went from persecuting believers to jailing critics of religion and why, in contrast, religious pluralism and tolerance have solidified in Ukraine. Offering a richly documented history of cultural and political struggles that surrounded desecularization--the resurgence of religion's societal role--from the end of the USSR to the Russo-Ukrainian war, they show Russian critics of desecularization adhered to artistic provocations, from axing icons to "punk-prayers" in cathedrals, and how Orthodox activists, in turn, responded by vandalizing controversial exhibits and calling on the state to crush "the enemies of the Church." Putin's solidifying tyranny heard their calls and criminalized insults to religious feelings. Meanwhile, Ukraine adhered to its pluralistic legacies. Its churches refused to engage in Russian-style culture wars, sticking instead to forgiveness and forbearance. Icons Axed, Freedoms Lost offers original theoretical and methodological perspectives on desecularization applicable far beyond the cases of Russia and Ukraine.
Call number in WMU's library
BR936 .K37 2025 (Waldo Library WMU Authors Collection, First Floor)
ISBN
9781978822238
Publication Date
2025
Recommended Citation
Karpov, Vyacheslav and Schroeder, Rachel L., "Icons Axed, Freedoms Lost: Russian Desecularization and a Ukrainian Alternative" (2025). All Books and Monographs by WMU Authors. 943.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/books/943