PSTGU Bulletin Mikhail Yurievich Smirnov,

I: Theology. Philosophy Dr. Sots. Sci., Associate Professor of St. Petersburg

2014. Issue. 3 (53). P. 71–80 state university.
mirsnov@yandex.ru

FROM SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION

IN R OSSIAN F EDERATION:
TWO OBSERVATIONS

M. Yu. S MIRNOV

The article is devoted to two aspects of the sociology of religion in modern Russia. The first aspect is the loss of the Soviet type of
institutions of scientific atheistic sociology of religion and the beginning of the formation of a new model of sociological research of
religion. The author notes the existence of both an objective need for the sociological study of religion in modern Russia, and a subjective
awareness of the need for such research. The tradition of empirical research, which has been preserved largely by inertia since Soviet times,
is consistent with the insufficient development of scientific theorizing. At the same time, the existing professional environment of specialists
does not have sufficient institutionalization and does not enjoy the support of the state and society. There is an active search for ways of
self-realization both at the research and institutional levels. The second aspect is the current state of the Russian sociology of religion,
which is represented by five main segments: public opinion research services, research centers in academic and university institutions,
teaching the sociology of religion, professional associations of sociologists of religion, and networking communities of enthusiasts in the
sociology of religion. The position of the sociology of religion in Russia as a whole is defined as a "liminal" phase, when (according to the
well-known classification) the stage of "detachment" from the previous (Soviet) state has been passed, but the final stage of clear
structuring has not yet been reached. professional associations of sociologists of religion, networking communities of enthusiasts in the
sociology of religion. The position of the sociology of religion in Russia as a whole is defined as a "liminal" phase, when (according to the
well-known classification) the stage of "detachment" from the previous (Soviet) state has been passed, but the final stage of clear
structuring has not yet been reached. professional associations of sociologists of religion, networking communities of enthusiasts in the
sociology of religion. The position of the sociology of religion in Russia as a whole is defined as a "liminal" phase, when (according to the
well-known classification) the stage of "detachment" from the previous (Soviet) state has been passed, but the final stage of clear
structuring has not yet been reached.

First observation:
Transit from Soviet to post-Soviet
The sociology of religion in the Russian Federation has its direct history in the
sociological study of religiosity and atheism carried out in the Soviet period. The
research work of that period had its own achievements, although it did not always
correspond to the level of development of the world sociology of religion. one.

The directive message of the overwhelming majority of Soviet sociological

studies of religion was political motivation - the attitude of

one Cm.: Garadzha V.I. Sociology of religion (1996) // Sociology in Russia / V.A. M., 1998 2.

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 Research: Religious Studies

The settlements of the country towards religion were studied to develop more effective
ways to neutralize and eliminate religious influence on the consciousness and behavior of
Soviet people.
The development of an independent sociological theory of religion on the basis
of an empirical study of the religious life of society was not expected, since the basic
theoretical and methodological guidelines were formed at the level of the official and
obligatory doctrine of historical materialism. The sociological component of the
research of religion was incorporated into the ideologically inspired quasi-theory of
scientific atheism (the Soviet ersatz of religious studies) 2.

The connection between the sociology of religion and general sociology, as its
sectoral direction, although recognized as a resource of research methods and
techniques, was absent in practice.
Organizationally, the sociology of religion was presented within the framework of the Institute
of Scientific Atheism of the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU,
which had a network of strong points throughout the USSR. Locally, activities in the sociology of
religion were supervised by the organs of the CPSU, under the auspices of which research groups
could be created.
It can be said that the Soviet scientific-atheistic sociology of religion was an
instrument of ideological construction and this determined the specificity of its
institutional existence. With its help, a "scientifically grounded" image of the steady
"overcoming of religion" and the development of mass atheism in the USSR was
created.
At the same time, there were separate receptions from the foreign sociology of
religion, in accordance with which the research apparatus was modernized. The main
attention was paid to the so-called concrete sociological research, carried out in
accordance with ideological tasks. A large amount of empirical material was
accumulated and a professional environment of specialists was formed with the skills
of a sociological approach to the study of religion. 3. In the "post-perestroika" time, it is
the scientific and life experience of authoritative domestic scientists of the older
generation four allowed to keep some of the substantive developments of Soviet
research in modern Russian sociology of religion.

2 The first significant attempt to designate the relative independence of the “Marxist

sociology of religion” in the gap between “Marxist-Leninist sociology” and “scientific atheism”
was the work of I. N. Yablokova ( Yablokov I.N. Sociology of religion. M., 1979. S. 72-133). The
monographs of Yu.A. Levada and D.M. Ugrinovich ( Levada Yu.A. The social nature of religion.
M., 1965; D. M. Ugrinovich Sociological analysis of religion // He. Introduction to Religious
Studies. M., 1985 2).

3 Cm.: Lopatkin R.A. Sociology of religion in Russia: past experience and modern problems
// State, religion, Church in Russia and abroad. 2001. No. 4. S. 34–46.
four I will name only the most famous of them: V. I. Garadzha, V. D. Kobetsky, R. A. Lopatkin, M. P.
Mchedlov, M. G. Pismanik, Zh. T. Toshchenko, I. N. Yablokov.
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 M. Yu. Smirnov. Sociology of religion in the Russian Federation: two observations

The abolition of the politically engaged structure of social science, including

scientific atheism, led to the loss of the institutionalization of the sociology of religion
and to the diffusion of the professional environment. The assimilation of foreign
approaches in the sociology of religion devalued the previous scientific concepts. The
ideological charge of the Soviet social sciences caused, if not a complete rupture and
rejection, then significant gaps in the perception of the research experience
accumulated at that time by the new generation of Russian sociologists of religion.

At the same time, the objective need for sociological knowledge about religion
has increased, since its position in the state and society has changed significantly.
The religious factor has acquired significant importance not only in the spiritual, but
also in the social sphere. The religious component of the life of the population was
presented in such perspectives that were previously either unknown to domestic
researchers, or were attributed to foreign countries.
There was a clear discrepancy between the growing multidimensional presence
of religion in the public space of the country and the current level of sociological
comprehension of this process. five. In the absence of adequate organizational forms
for the sociological study of religion, this direction has found itself in an uncertain
state, with an uneven distribution of interests and types of scientific activity.

The notion of sociology inherited from Soviet times as “specific” procedures - oral
and written polls, the study of public opinion, etc. - in its own way contributed to the
maintenance of empirical studies of religion in the Russian Federation 6.

At the same time, scientific theorizing in the Russian sociology of religion

remains underdeveloped. 7, although attempts in this direction, including taking into
account modern foreign theories, are carried out as far as possible eight.
In this way:
a) there is a complex religious situation in the country, which forms a subject
field for sociological study nine;
b) there is an understanding that this situation needs to be studied, and not only
for research purposes proper, but also to enhance the potential for substantiation of
managerial decisions regarding the religious life of society;

five Cm.: S.V. Medvedko Problems of the methodology of modern sociology of religion in
Russia // State, religion, Church in Russia and abroad. 2001. No. 2.
6 Cm.: Belova T.P. Sociology of religion in modern Russia: experience, problems, prospects

// Bulletin of Ivanovskii University. Series “Right. Economy. Sociology". 2001. Issue. 4.S.

7 See: The borrower A.A. Sociology of Religion in Russia: Problems and Prospects //
Sociological Research. 2007. No. 2. FROM.
eight Cm.: Mukharyamov N.M., ZakamullinaM. N. Sociology of religion: scientific and educational

potential // Vestnik Mosk. un-that. Ser. 18. Sociology and Political Science. 2009. No. 1. FROM.
nine For a substantive description of this situation, as seen by the author, see a number of previous
publications, for example: Smirnov M.Yu. Ch. 2. From the perspective of modernity: the images of religion in
the Russian Federation // He. Religion and Religious Studies in Russia. SPb., 2013. S. 101-148.
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c) there is a professional environment of specialists of different generations,

familiar with the sociology of religion, ready and able to do this, while realizing the
need for self-development;
d) there is no stable institutionalization of the sociology of religion and no proper
support from the state and society;
e) there is a search for ways of self-organization of the professional environment
of sociologists of religion: at the research level (defining the problems of theoretical,
empirical and applied research); at the institutional level (creation of consolidating
forms of professional community activity).

Second observation:
Who is engaged in the sociology of religion in Russia?

Any list of leading scientists in any scientific field inevitably bears the imprint of
the personal attitude of the compiler and will always be subjective. Therefore, the
author does not consider appropriate such personalization within the framework of
this article. Nevertheless, there are a number of objective indicators (research and
publication activity, speeches at conferences and seminars, citation ratings, etc.) that
contribute to a more or less adequate understanding of the topic “who is who” in the
Russian sociology of religion. 10.

It should be added, however, that by no means everyone who, in one way or

another, deals with the sociological aspects of the religious life of society, they
themselves confidently refer to the sociology of religion, preferring to indicate their
belonging to other, related socio-humanitarian areas (anthropology, ethnology,
regional studies etc.). This uncertainty is aggravated by the “pulling” of the sociology
of religion between sociology and religious studies, as well as the entry into the
research space of confessional-minded scientists.

With regret, we have to state that a considerable number of researchers who

have completed their master's and / or Ph.D. theses on the topic of the sociology of
religion, subsequently stop studying in this scientific field and actually leave the
sphere of the sociology of religion. Therefore, it is not possible to enumerate them in
the current sociologists of religion.
If we try to give a depersonalized characterization of the aggregate subjects of
the sociological study of religion in Russia, then at present the Russian sociology of
religion is represented by five main segments that differ in their functionality and do
not have organized coordination among themselves. Immediately it is necessary to
make a reservation that you understand
10 I will allow myself to refer those interested to the bibliographic section "Domestic

Literature on the Sociology of Religion" in my own review work: Smirnov M. Yu. Sociology of
Religion: Dictionary. SPb., 2011. S. 365–404. A meaningful description of the main directions of
modern research in this area is given in the chapter "Contemporary Russian Sociology of
Religion" in the work: Smirnov M. Yu. Essay on the history of the Russian sociology of religion.
SPb., 2008. S. 69–80.
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 M. Yu. Smirnov. Sociology of religion in the Russian Federation: two observations

the number of segments here is conditional - both because there is no rigid fixation of the
participants in each of them (there are both simultaneous presence in several, and transitions),
and because the real configuration is more complicated than the geometric one; so it is, rather,
a product of the speculative layout of a diffuse environment.

1. The first and most notable segment is the segment associated with activities.
various sociological or similar services that study public opinion, including about
religion in our country.
None of these organizations specialize exclusively in the sociology of religion.
However, as part of their projects, they periodically conduct targeted and monitoring
studies of attitudes towards religion in Russia.
The most famous organizations in this series:
• All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center - VTsIOM (publishes the publication
“Monitoring Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes”);

• Autonomous non-profit organization “Analytical Center of Yuri Levada” —ANO

Levada-Center (publishes “Bulletin of Public Opinion. Data. Analysis.
Discussions”);
• Non-profit organization “Public Opinion Foundation” - FOM (Social Reality
publication);
• Non-profit research service Sreda (in cooperation with FOM, it has declared
itself in the field of sociology of religion, but has a wider range of
informational interests).
Here you can add those who periodically turn to the problems of sociology of
religion:
• Autonomous non-profit organization “Institute of Public Design” —InOP
(publication “Innovative Trends: Periodical Bulletin”);

• Research holding (group of companies) ROMIR Monitoring.

2. The second segment is formed by research centers created

at some academic institutions and large institutions of higher professional education
(HPE). They strive to combine empirical (field) study and theoretical development in
their activities, that is, they follow the traditional model of scientific research. There
are few such organizations, they are few in terms of personnel and limited in material
and financial resources. Nevertheless, they carry out quite meaningful research
projects (especially if cooperation has been achieved with foreign scientific
institutions).

Among the institutions of this series, the following can be distinguished as the most notable:
• Department of Sociology of Religion, Institute of Socio-Political Research, Russian Academy of
Sciences;

• Research Center "Religion in Modern Society" of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian
Academy of Sciences;

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• Educational and Scientific Center for the Study of Religions of the Russian State
University for the Humanities (RGGU);
• Department of State and Confessional Relations of the International Institute
of Civil Service and Management of the RAGS (now RANEPA) under the
President of the Russian Federation;
• The Laboratory of Political Sociology and Psychology of the Research Institute
for Complex Social Research, Faculty of Sociology, St. Petersburg State
University (NIIKSISPbGU);

• Center for Fundamental Sociology, National Research University Higher School of Economics;
• Institute of Europe RAS.

Special mention should be made of research centers created in the post-Soviet

period that have a religious orientation and represent a confessional interest in the
sociology of religion. Of these, you can name:

• Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies. Sts. equalap. Cyril and

Methodius (ROC MP), which, together with the Synodal Biblical and Theological
Commission, in partnership with the Anglo-American Society of Christian
Philosophers, is implementing the sociological segment of the Religion,
Science and Society project;

• Research Seminar “Sociology of Religion” of the Theological Faculty of the

Orthodox St. Tikhon University for the Humanities;

• Center for Islamic Studies of the North Caucasus at Dagestan State University.

Of the research projects with foreign participation, the most famous are:

• "Religion and values after the fall of communism" (1991-1999);

• “Modern religious life in Russia. Experience of systematic description
”(1997-2002);
• "Atlas of Contemporary Religious Life in Russia" (since 2003);
• "Religious Practices in Contemporary Russia" (2006);
• “Twenty Years of Transformation: Religious and Social Practices of Russian
Orthodox Parishes” (2008–2010).
The content of these projects is interdisciplinary, in some of them emphasis on
ethnology and social anthropology prevails; nevertheless, everywhere, one way or
another, there is a perspective of the sociology of religion.

3. The third segment can be considered the presence of the sociology of religion in general
educational programs of higher education. In a number of socio-humanitarian
universities, the existing FSES HPE in some areas of training and specialties provide
for the teaching of the sociology of religion as an academic discipline.

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 M. Yu. Smirnov. Sociology of religion in the Russian Federation: two observations

Transmission of sociological knowledge about religion into the educational

process involves the development of lecture courses and educational and
methodological literature, attempts to improve the qualifications of the teaching staff
in the sociology of religion. The topic of the sociology of religion is to some extent
reflected in the topics chosen by students for coursework and final qualifying works,
master's theses.
In other words, within the framework of higher education, a minimum level of
knowledge in the field of sociology of religion is maintained, with individual teachers
and a small number of students here as their carriers.
At the same time, in the Russian Federation there is not a single educational
institution of HPE, public or private, where basic training in sociology of religion
would be conducted, there were graduating departments or special educational
programs in this direction.
The absence of the sociology of religion in the nomenclature of specialties of the
Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation, in which candidate and
doctoral dissertations are defended, hinders the expansion of interest in this area as a
field for scientific growth. Dissertations on the topic of the sociology of religion are written
and sometimes defended, but their authors and dissertation councils also have a difficult
time defining the profile of scientific works presented.

4. The fourth and, unfortunately, far from the most noticeable segment is
There is a proactive consolidation of the professional community of Russian
sociologists of religion.
Currently, there is no single or most authoritative professional association for
the majority. With varying degrees of notoriety, there are: Research Committees
“Sociology of Religion” and “Sociology of Orthodoxy” of the Russian Society of
Sociologists; scientific seminar on the sociology of religion (named after Yu. Yu.
Sinelina) at the Faculty of Sociology of Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosova;
community for the creation in Moscow of the Library of Sociology of Religion under
the Guild of Experts on Religion and Law; the Internet portal “Sociology of Religion”
developed by Belgorod and Moscow colleagues with the forum “Social Network of
Sociologists of Religion”.
Periodically, there are initiatives to organize summer or winter schools for young
scientists; holding scientific conferences (for example, a series of conferences has
already been held in Belgorod under the general heading “Sociology of Religion in
the Society of Late Modernity”). On the initiative of the Research Committee
“Sociology of Religion” of the ROS, a collective work is underway to create the first in
the domestic scientific literature “Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Sociology of
Religion”, which is already becoming a consolidating principle in the fragmented focal
environment of Russian sociologists of religion.

5. Finally, the fifth segment, which practically does not have any ot-
clear structured, small communities and individual enthusiasts of the sociology of
religion, mainly students and postgraduates and / or simply interested persons, act.
Not having yet
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 Research: Religious Studies

known status (or not striving for it), this contingent is independent subjects of the
sociological study of religion, not burdened with the normative nature of official
scientific institutions, accepting free interpretations, but also not devoid of any
in-depth knowledge of certain issues. Most often, these groups record their activities
in the so-called social networks.

Of course, in any professional environment, scientific periodicals should also play

a consolidating role. However, in Russia there is still not a single scientific periodical
specialized in the sociology of religion. In the best case, there are corresponding
rubrics or individual publications in journals on sociology or religious studies.

From the updated list of peer-reviewed journals recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission, these
are:
• Scientific electronic journal "Bulletin of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences";
• Social / Sociological research;
• Sociological journal;
• Sociology. Journal of the Russian Sociological Association;
• Sociological Review;
• Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology;
• Religious studies. Scientific and theoretical journal;
• State, religion, Church in Russia and abroad;
• Religious studies;
• Religion and Law;
• Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 7. Philosophy;
• Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. Series 17. Philosophy. Conflictology.
Culturology. Religious Studies;
• Bulletin of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy;
• Bulletin of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University. Series Ι. Theology.
Philosophy;
• Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series: Politology. Religious Studies;

• Islamic Studies: Scientific and theoretical journal;

• Islam in the Modern World: Scientific Almanac.
There are also a number of other scientific periodicals. It is easy to see that the
topics of the sociology of religion are presented in these editions to a minimum. The
overwhelming majority of this periodical belongs to higher educational institutions.
And the overwhelming majority of Russian scientists involved in the sociology of
religion work in the HPE system. Employment in the educational process significantly
narrows the possibilities of empirical work, localizing it in space and time, which is
reflected in the level of validity of research judgments in a few publications.

In the same cases, when a periodical covers a wider range of topics in the
sociology of religion, unevenness and variability are found.

78
 M. Yu. Smirnov. Sociology of religion in the Russian Federation: two observations

the high quality of theoretical and methodological training of authors (especially

when publications of Russian and foreign scientists coexist).

A short summary of these two observations can be considered a conclusion about the
continuation for the national sociology of religion, so to speak, of the “liminal” period,
when (according to the well-known classification) the stage of “detachment” from the
previous (Soviet) state has been passed, but the final stage of a clear structure tourism is
far from being achieved. This “liminality” is weighed down by the general unfavorable
context of the existence of socio-humanitarian sciences in the present-day Russian
Federation. From this, the extension of the sociology of religion to a normally organized
institutionality remains primarily a matter of the "drowning people" themselves.

Keywords: sociology of religion, research centers, public opinion research,

professional associations of sociologists of religion.

T HE S OCIOLOGY OF R ELIGION IN R USSIA:

T WO O BSERVATIONS
M. S MIRNOV
The author touches on two aspects of the sociology of religion in contemporary
Russia. The fi rst of these aspects is the loss of the Soviet-type institutions of the "scienti fi
c atheist" sociology of religion and the emergence of a new model of sociological research
in the sphere of religion. The author notes both the existence of the objective motivation
for sociological research of religion in modern Russia and the subjective understanding of
the necessity of such research. The tradition of empirical research rooted in the Soviet
period and preserved mainly by inertia is matched by the insu ffi ciently developed
scholarly theory. At the same time, professional community is not su ffi ciently
institutionalized and does not enjoy the support of either the state or the society. Within
this professional milieu an active search of self-implementation is underway both on the
scholarly and on the institutional level. Another aspect addressed by the author is the
current state of a ff airs in the Russian sociology of religion, which is represented by fi ve
principal segments: public opinion research services, research centers in academic
institutions and higher educational establishments, the teaching of the sociology of
religion, professional associations uniting researchers in the sociology of religion, online
communities bringing together enthusiasts of the field. The situation with the sociology of
religion in Russia is on the whole identi fi ed as the “luminal” phase during which,
according to a well-known classi fi cation, the stage of “disconnection” from the former
(Soviet) state of a ff airs is already past, whereas the fi nal,

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Keywords: sociology of religion, research centers, public opinion study, professional

associations of researchers in the sociology of religion.

Bibliography
one.
Belova T.P. Sociology of religion in modern Russia: experience, problems, prospects //
Bulletin of Ivanovskii University. Ser. "Right. Economy. Sociology". 2001. Issue. four.

2. The borrower A.A. Sociology of Religion in Russia: Problems and Prospects // Sociological
Research. 2007. No. 2.
3. Garadzha V.I. Sociology of religion (1996) // Sociology in Russia / V.A. ed. M., 1998 2.

four. Lopatkin R.A. Sociology of Religion in Russia: Past Experience and Contemporary Problems //
State, Religion, Church in Russia and Abroad. 2001. No. 4.
five. S.V. Medvedko Problems of the methodology of modern sociology of religion in Russia //

State, religion, Church in Russia and abroad. 2001. No. 2.

6. Mukharyamov N. M., Zakamullina M. N. Sociology of religion: scientific and educational
potential // Vestnik Mosk. un-that. Ser. 18. Sociology and Political Science. 2009. No. 1.
7. Smirnov M. Yu. Sociology of Religion: Dictionary. SPb., 2011.
D.
eight. M. Ugrinovich Introduction to Religious Studies. M., 1985 2.
Yablokov I.N. Sociology of religion. M., 1979.
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