Description
Book SynopsisIs there a “return to the religious” in post-Communist Eastern Europe that differs from religious trends in the West and the Middle East? Looking beyond immediate events, this book situates public talk about religion and religious practice in the longue durée of the two entangled pasts —Byzantine and Ottoman—that implicitly underpin contemporary politics. Islam, Christianity, and Secularism situates Bulgaria in its wider region, indicating ongoing Middle Eastern, Russian, and other European influences shaping patterns of religious identity. The chapters point to overlapping and complementary views of ethno-religious belonging and communal practices among Orthodox Christians and Muslims throughout the region. Contributors are Dale F. Eickelman, Simeon Evstatiev, Kristen Ghodsee, Galina Evstatieva, Ilia Iliev, Daniela Kalkandjieva, Plamen Makariev, Momchil Metodiev, Daria Oreshina, Ivan Zabaev and Angeliki Ziaka.
Table of ContentsNote on Transliteration List of Figures Notes on Contributors Introduction On the Eastern Edge of Europe: Christianity, Islam, and the Bulgarian Political Imagination Dale F. Eickelman and Simeon Evstatiev part 1 Secularism in Bulgaria and Its Region 1 Byzantine and Ottoman Pasts, Modern Politics Religious Belongings and Balkan Secularities Simeon Evstatiev and Dale F. Eickelman 2 Regulating Religious Freedoms in the 21st Century Nationality, Religion, and Symphonic Secularism Kristen Ghodsee 3 Salafism Is Coming “Balkan” versus “Arab” Islam in Bulgaria under Milletic Secularism Simeon Evstatiev part 2 Christian and Muslim Men and Women under State Atheism and Postsocialist Secularism 4 Symbols and Identity in Bulgaria Parallels between Communist Atheism and Western Secularism Momchil Metodiev 5 Caesar and God in the Public Sphere Religious and Secular Discourse in Post-Atheist Bulgaria Daniela Kalkandjieva 6 The Hijab in Contemporary Bulgaria Muslim Views on Veiling Galina Evstatieva 7 Fasting and Aging in a Bulgarian Muslim Community Ilia Iliev part 3 Religion, Publicity, and Concealment in Orthodox-Majority Societies 8 Parallel Paths Christian-Muslim Symbiosis and Religious Education in Greece Angeliki Ziaka 9 The Russian Orthodox Church Federal Visibility Versus Local-Level Concealment Ivan Zabaev and Daria Oreshina 10 Religion and the Challenges of Public Legitimization The Bulgarian Orthodox Church Plamen Makariev Index
