Although Russia is widely associated with Orthodox Christianity, it accommodates almost 15 million Muslims in its federally organized state. The major Islamic enclaves of the Russian Federation are... Show moreAlthough Russia is widely associated with Orthodox Christianity, it accommodates almost 15 million Muslims in its federally organized state. The major Islamic enclaves of the Russian Federation are situated in the Volga-Urals and the North Caucasus. Following the fall of Communism Russia's Islamic regions have experienced a revival of Islam, enhanced by ideological voids, centrifugal political processes and the shifting sands of civil society. The autonomous republics of Tatarstan in the Volga-Urals and Dagestan in the North Caucasus exemplify two distinctive models of a relationship between Islam and power in the post-Communist umma. The following draws on the findings of a three-year research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) entitled 'Islam, Ethnicity and Nationalism in Post-Soviet Tatarstan and Dagestan'. Show less
