Holism/Tselostnost’ and Liberation/Rebellion in Russian and American Civil Religion

Abstract

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the storming of the U.S. Capitol by right-wing insurrectionists have drawn increased attention to the faith-political nexus in Russia and the United States. Yet the “Christan nationalist” narratives observed in these countries did not emerge suddenly in the twenty-first century and are not a novelty introduced by a candidate or a regime. Rather, political and religious actors draw inspiration from civil religions that have their roots in the very formation of these respective states. This study seeks to trace developments in Russian and American civil religion from its inception up to the climactic events of the Ukraine invasion and the January 6 insurrection with the goal of answering the following question: how have modern Russian and American civil religion evolved in comparison to their historical forms? A comparison of these two countries will shed light on how civil religion as a unifying idea is constructed in “republics” with great ethnic and religious diversity. I find that both in Russia and the United States, civil religious discourses have adapted to plurality by evolving toward a strategic ecumenism and inclusivity based on shared political values, in accordance with priorities dictated by the national paradigms of holism/tselostnost’ (Russia) and liberation/rebellion (United States).