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
Research on pre-modern and modern Islam conducted in post-Soviet Russia, has been, and still is, very poorly known to scholars from abroad - both in the West and in the Muslim world. Despite the... Show moreResearch on pre-modern and modern Islam conducted in post-Soviet Russia, has been, and still is, very poorly known to scholars from abroad - both in the West and in the Muslim world. Despite the fall of the 'iron curtain' after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is still an informational barrier separating post-Soviet and non-Soviet researchers. Many questions arise concerning what has happened in Islamic studies after the cease of religious persecution during the 'perestroika' years: What was the impact of the socalled 'Islamic revival' on research on Islam? Which academic schools training specialists in Islamic studies have survived since the pre-Soviet and Soviet times? To what extent do post-Soviet scholars know and share modern Western approaches and concepts in Islamic studies? Show less
