Routledge Popular Religion in Russia - Double Belief Myth

Explore a groundbreaking re-examination of Russian religious history with this volume from the Routledge Studies in the History of Russia and Eastern Europe. This book challenges the long-standing academic assumption that paganism survived alongside Orthodox Christianity through a concept known as 'double belief' or dvoeverie. For decades, scholars have argued that Russian Christians maintained pagan traditions well into the twentieth century. This work demonstrates that dvoeverie is actually an academic myth. By tracing the medieval origins of the term, the text explains how nineteenth-century scholars, focused on Russian folk traditions, created this narrative. It further examines how this concept was later used as a propaganda tool. This scholarly work provides a necessary correction to historical misconceptions regarding the relationship between folk traditions and official Christianity in Russia. It is an essential resource for students and researchers interested in the history of Eastern Europe, religious studies, and the evolution of academic thought.