Global Eastern Orthodoxy : Politics, Religion, and Human Rights

"This volume highlights three intertwined aspects of the global context of Orthodox Christianity: religion, politics, and human rights. The chapters in Part I address the challenges of modern human rights discourse to Orthodox Christianity and examine conditions for active presence of Orthodox churches in the public sphere of plural societies. It suggests theoretical and empirical considerations about the relationship between politics and Orthodoxy by exploring topics such as globalization, participatory democracy, and the linkage of religious and political discourses in Russia, Greece, Belarus, Romania, and Cyprus. Part II looks at the issues of diaspora and identity in global Orthodoxy, presenting cases from Switzerland, America, Italy, and Germany. In doing so, the book ties in with the growing interest resulting from the novelty of socio-political, economic, and cultural changes which have forced religious groups and organizations to revise and redesign their own institutional structures, practices, and agendas.-- Publisher, page four of cover Contents Contributors Introduction. Global Eastern Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics and Human Rights Global Eastern Orthodoxy and Forms of Belonging International Orthodox Politics and Church-State Relations Global Eastern Orthodoxy and the Debate on the Universality and Particularity of Human Rights Structure of the Volume References Part I: Human Rights Between Religion and Politics Orthodox Christianity and Modern Human Rights: Theorising Their Nexus and Addressing Orthodox Specificities The Challenge of Modern Human Rights to the Orthodox Christian World Theorizing Orthodox Christianity and Modern Human Rights Comparative Civilisational Analysis The Multiple Modernities Approach Post-secularity, De-secularisation, and Multiple Secularities Postcolonial and Postmodern Perspectives Ethnicity and Nationalism Studies Globalisation Studies Political Science and International Relations Contextualising and Explaining the Orthodox Specificities vis-à-vis Modern Human Rights The Orthodox Introversion and Its Repercussions Orthodox Anti-Westernism and Its Numerous Consequences The Still Pending Fruitful Encounter Between Orthodoxy and Modernity The Weak World-Relatedness of Orthodoxy The Marginality of the Orthodox Christian Discourse Recent Promising Developments Concluding Remarks References The Russian Orthodox Church and the Global World Introduction Thinking Religion and Politics in the Same Movement: The Russian imaginaire Spiritual and Moral Values: From a Russian Civilizational imaginaire to Global Values Russian and Eastern Slavic Civilization, « Russian World », Orthodox Civilization From Pan-Europeanism to the Global World Territory and Tradition The Church and the Compatriots: The Example of the Russian Orthodox Church in France The Expansion of Tradition as a Response to Globalization Conclusion References The Russian Orthodox Church’s Approach to Human Rights The Russian Orthodox Church and Human Rights During the Cold War The Russian Orthodox Church and Human Rights after 1991 and the Social Doctrine in 2000 The Shaping of a Middle Ground and the Human Rights Doctrine of 2008 The Russian Orthodox Church as Moral Norm Entrepreneur Conclusion References The Great and Holy Council and the Orthodox Churches in the Public Sphere Introduction The Great and Holy Council and the Demands of Cultural Plurality The Public Sphere and Religious Communities The Participation of the Orthodox Church in Public Deliberations Theology for Social Involvement Impediments to a Robust Orthodox Witness in the Public Sphere References Religion and Human Rights in Greece Introduction Religion, National Identity, Church and State Relevant Legal Framework The Role of the ECtHR Flashpoints in Human Rights: Enduring Arenas of Conflict and Controversy Blasphemy Sharia Religious Education Where to from Here? Religion and Human Rights at the Grassroots Level References Religious Freedom in Context: A Comparison Between Belarus and Romania Introduction Theorizing International Religious Freedom in Sociology Religious Freedom Regulations in Orthodox Countries A Model of Quantitative Study of Religious Freedom in Orthodox Belarus and Romania Research Questions and Hypotheses Method and Sample Empirical Findings Religious Freedom: One Concept, Two Dimensions Patterns of Attitudes Towards Religious Freedom Among Orthodox, Religious Minorities, and Non-religious Youth Individual Religiosity, Faith/Spirituality Experiences, and Religious Freedom Role of Religion and Religious Freedom Exclusivism-Pluralism Nexus and Religious Freedom Conclusions and Discussion References Greek-Cypriot Religiocultural Heritage as an Indicator of Fundamental Rights and a Means to Cultural Diplomacy Introduction Religiocultural Heritage and Diplomacy The Relevance of Religion in a Post-Westphalian Context The Republic of Cyprus, the OCC and the EU Greek-Orthodox Religiocultural Heritage and Religious Freedom The OCC’s EU Engagement and Initiatives Sacred Space – The Greek-Orthodox Religioscapes Europeanisation Concluding Remarks References Part II: Orthodox Diaspora and Identity in the Global World Orthodoxy Going Global: The Quest for Identity Orthodox Migrations and the Issue of Religious Identity Factors That Impact Orthodox Identity Reconstruction in a Global Context: Minority Status, Secularization, and Religious Pluralism Emerging Glocalizations of Orthodoxy Conclusion References Singing an Old Song in a New Land: Orthodox Christian Churches in the Twenty-First Century America Introduction: American Religious Context Orthodox Christian Churches in the USA in the Twenty-First Century: An Overview How “Ethnic” Are American Orthodox Christian Churches at the Beginning of the Third Millennium? Ten Facts About US Orthodox Parishes That Make Them “Different” from American Protestant Congregations Some Final Thoughts and Questions for the Future References Orthodox Christianity in a Western Catholic Country Introduction The Plurality of Orthodox Christianity in Italy Orthodox Christians Faithful in Italy The Orthodox Jurisdictions in Italy A Western Orthodox Laboratory? Spheres of Engagement Settlement and Religious Orientation Conclusion References Greek Diaspora in Germany: Church as the Ecclesia’s Forerunner and Point of Reference Introduction The Background of Greek Migration to Germany The Common Greek Paradigm Euergetism and Choregia An Individualistic Paradigm of Collectivism The Unique Paradigm of Greeks in Germany Political Divisions Between the Religious and the National Tradition Within the Context of Modernity Conclusion References Interviews Index