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Myths of the Pious or Pagan Peasant in Post-Emancipation Central Russia (Voronezh Province)

Myths of the Pious or Pagan Peasant in Post-Emancipation Central Russia (Voronezh Province) CHRIS J. CHULOS (Helsinki, Finland) MYTHS OF THE PIOUS OR PAGAN PEASANT IN POST-EMANCIPATION CENTRAL RUSSIA (VORONEZH PROVINCE)* . Observers of post-Emancipation Russian rural life have often commented on the resistance of traditional peasant culture to economic, political, and so- cial change. Rural activists and reformers, educators, clergymen, publishers of popular literature, and revolutionaries shared a common belief that these changes could only be brought about if the dark peasant masses were properly enlightened. Although these educated Russians disagreed on the type of en- lightenment necessary, they believed that education would wipe clean the most noxious residue of centuries of peasant tradition, particularly the more formal- istic aspects of religious expression, the adherence to dvoeverie (dual faith of Christian and pagan elements), and the perpetuation of the myriad supersti- tions, irrational beliefs, and behaviors associated with them. Thus enlightened, the superstitious peasantry could eventually be transformed into a rational, modem Russian citizenry. The post-Emancipation writings of educated Rus- sians so persuasively supported these conceptions of the peasant world that, with few exceptions, they continue to be considered undeniable facts, rather than the intellectual or mythical constructions of a given social, cultural, and intellectual milieu.1 1 ; .. . http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Russian History Brill

Myths of the Pious or Pagan Peasant in Post-Emancipation Central Russia (Voronezh Province)

Russian History , Volume 22 (1-4): 181 – Jan 1, 1995

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1995 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0094-288X
eISSN
1876-3316
DOI
10.1163/187633195X00089
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

CHRIS J. CHULOS (Helsinki, Finland) MYTHS OF THE PIOUS OR PAGAN PEASANT IN POST-EMANCIPATION CENTRAL RUSSIA (VORONEZH PROVINCE)* . Observers of post-Emancipation Russian rural life have often commented on the resistance of traditional peasant culture to economic, political, and so- cial change. Rural activists and reformers, educators, clergymen, publishers of popular literature, and revolutionaries shared a common belief that these changes could only be brought about if the dark peasant masses were properly enlightened. Although these educated Russians disagreed on the type of en- lightenment necessary, they believed that education would wipe clean the most noxious residue of centuries of peasant tradition, particularly the more formal- istic aspects of religious expression, the adherence to dvoeverie (dual faith of Christian and pagan elements), and the perpetuation of the myriad supersti- tions, irrational beliefs, and behaviors associated with them. Thus enlightened, the superstitious peasantry could eventually be transformed into a rational, modem Russian citizenry. The post-Emancipation writings of educated Rus- sians so persuasively supported these conceptions of the peasant world that, with few exceptions, they continue to be considered undeniable facts, rather than the intellectual or mythical constructions of a given social, cultural, and intellectual milieu.1 1 ; .. .

Journal

Russian HistoryBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1995

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