Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, PAS
Investigation of religious communities involvement in environmentalism.
Green Orthodoxy: ecological conversion of Eastern Orthodox churches Social Sciences and Humanities
ksenia.medvedeva@ifispan.edu.plmedvedeva@gsnas.fu-berlin.de
Orthodox churches in the USA and Greece. How and why do religious actors become engaged with environmentalism? How does the “ecological conversion” work?
The project explores the engagement of contemporary Eastern Orthodox Christianity in environmental issues. It compares Orthodox environmentalism in the United States and Greece and examines the “greening” of Orthodox churches there through the prism of ecological conversion. The first goal of the project is to examine green ideas, values and ideals that motivate believers to be engaged in an eco-agenda and the ecological practices they follow. The second goal of the project is to use theoretical insights from this empirical case study to develop a model of “ecological conversion”. Drawing on Lewis Rambo’s understanding of religious conversion, the project examines “conversion to environmentalism” thus, contributing to theoretical discussions of conversion that can explain religious environmentalisms across religions. The project offers comparative research of two cases: America and Greece. It explores Orthodox churches in different social contexts: in a country where it has a minority status and in a “traditionally Orthodox” country with stronger connections and impact on civil society actors. The practical value of the research covers the analysis of the best green practices of Orthodox communities that can be useful for religious and secular organizations, NGOs, policy-makers, and other stakeholders. A qualitative methodology of data collection and analysis is used. The research innovatively blends document analysis, interview, visual methods (photography), and participant observations of Orthodox communities members in the USA and Greece. During the field trips of total duration of eight weeks, the data will be collected to offer a comprehensive intersectional research on green Orthodoxy.
Ksenia Medvedeva worked at the Higher School of Economics in the Russian Federation, the University of Toronto in Canada, the Free University of Berlin in Germany, and the University of Warsaw in Poland. Her research interests cover intentional communities such as monasteries and eco-villages. Being deeply interested in religion, she focuses on different aspects of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Ksenia Medvedeva conducted her fieldwork in Russia, the USA, Canada, Poland. The country of the Fellow’s current fieldwork interest is Greece.
Medvedeva, K. (2021). Orthodox monasteries as pilgrimage sites in contemporary Russia. In S. Palmisano, I. Jonveaux, M. Jewdokimow (Eds.), The Transformation of Religious Orders in Central and Eastern Europe: Sociological Insights. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.
Medvedeva, K. (2019). Nun with a camera: An insider’s view (the case of a Russian Orthodox monastery). In M. Jewdokimow & Th. Quartier (Eds.), A visual approach to the study of religious orders. Zooming in on monasteries (pp.33-48). Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.
Медведева, К. (2019). О «непутевых черничках» и «птичках небесных»: парадокс монастырской тотальности [On 'Wayward Nuns':The Paradox of Monastic Totality]. The Journal of Social Policy Studies, 17(3), 331-344.
72 Nowy Świat 00-330 Warszawa, Poland
Supervisor
Dorota Hall, PhD
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