A Conference on “Memory and Confessions” is held at European University

From November 22 to 24, the conference "Memory and Confessions" was held at the European University in St. Petersburg, organized by the Centre for the Study of Cultural Memory and Symbolic Politics at EU SPb with support from the Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). Representatives of St. Philaret's Institute (SFI) participated in the conference.

“In our current national environment, a certain portion of the work in the field of collective memory, particularly the memory of political repressions during the Soviet period, is somewhat embattled,” noted Professor Alexej Miller, Doctor of Historical Sciences from European University, in opening the event. “In this situation, religious communities, groups, and brotherhoods have slightly more room for action.”

“Last year by happy chance I was on the jury for the ‘Living Together’ awards in the 'Memory' category," the historian added. “Through this ‘keyhole,’ I saw hundreds of grassroots initiatives scattered across the country, not only related to the theme of repressions, i.e., I saw how many different actors — with very diverse motivations — are hidden behind the single banner of the ‘Russian Orthodox Church’.”

Can respectful and understanding cooperation be established both in practical activities in the field of memory and in its study? The conference was largely devoted to seeking answers to this question.

Dmitrij Gasak, the Chairman of the Transfiguration Brotherhood that was founded in 1990 by Fr Georgij Kochetkov, and First Vice-Rector of St. Philaret's Institute, spoke about how church commemorative initiatives can be implemented today, using the Brotherhood as an example.

He drew attention to a significant issue problematic which is critical to whole-church and/or personal historical memory:  “the search for that turning point from which the path of a person, and/or the people veered off course and became distorted, leading to a catastrophe.”

“Such a time for the Russian Orthodox Church, and consequently for us, is the 20th century — a time of massive destruction of church and national life, establishment of new meanings, new rhythms, new boundaries,” noted Dmitrij Gasak. “And this time, at least from the perspective of Orthodox people in Russia, cannot be overlooked.” 

All Brotherhood initiatives gradually unfolded from the understanding of the necessity to revive the Russian Church and all its ministries after their total destruction, during Soviet times, i.e., “they grew from the need to restore its full life precisely as Church as the assembly of God's people in Christ,” explained the First Vice-Rector of SFI. “This understanding was the aim and purpose of the Brotherhood's service from its foundation; this is how we understand our charisma,” he clarified. “Of course, the Orthodox Church in Russia has historically been linked with the people, society, and the state. And though after 1917 a radically different period began — often called “post-Constantinian” in theological literature — these historical connections cannot be ignored.”

Dmitrij Sergeevich added, however, that “the church in Soviet times was not only dying but also living. And this life, of which very few material and oral testimonies remain, also needs to be known and perceived. Connections need to be established, perhaps even personal ones, because these are our predecessors in the faith.” He highlighted making sense of the experience of fraternal unions in Russian Orthodoxy and the communal experience of the church in the 20th century as the most valuable direction of study for contemporary church life.

Much of the work by the Institute’s faculty and alumni in these areas has led to the creation of the History Faculty at SFI, which has educational programs in 20th c. church and social history.

“Of course, a multitude of questions arise regarding family histories during Soviet times — how political, social, and cultural aspects influenced the fate of one family or another," added Dmitrij Sergeevich. “Many are searching for their roots, but the problem is not only in finding and identifying family ties but also in understanding and evaluating them. Here, courage, mercy, and a sober view of the fates of our loved ones in the context of the country's history are tested.”

Upon the centenary of the Revolution, the Brotherhood first proposed commemoration of an annual Week of Sorrow and Repentance, from October 30 through November 7; in 2022, in connection with the centenary of Patriarch Tikhon's call for the gathering of spiritual unions in the church, the Brotherhood proposed celebrating February 1st as the Day of Orthodox Brotherhoods, and this has found resonance in church circles.

Gasak also spoke about helping to care for memorial sites in cooperation with church and public organizations, local historians, and enthusiasts, about cultural events drawing attention to “non-Soviet Russian culture from the Soviet period,” youth expeditions aimed at helping children engage with historical memory, and various publishing, scientific, and educational projects.

“Dialogue with scholars, historians, and philosophers is very important here, but perhaps most significant is the consciousness of the participants, who are just ordinary people, in commemorative activities” concluded Gasak.

At the conference, presentations were made by:

• Dmitrij Rogozin, Head of the Field Research Laboratory at RANEPA, Candidate of Sociological Sciences (“Remembering the Difficult Past: Results of Sociological Research”);
• Andrej Vasenyov, a representative of the Charitable Foundation “Living Together", Editor-in-chief of the “Stol” media project  (“Developing Preservation of Memory Initiatives in the Practices of “Living Together” Award Nominees from 2019 to 2024”);
• Margarita Shilkina, Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies at SFI, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences (“Memorial Prayer – a Spiritual Space for Interreligious and Interconfessional Communication”);
• Yuliya Balakshina, Professor at SFI and Herzen State Pedagogical University, Doctor of Philological Sciences (“Levashovsky Memorial Cemetery: The Politics of Memory and Reconciliation”);
• Igor Garkavyj, Director of the  “Butovo” Memorial Scientific and Educational Center ("Butovo Polygon as a Place of Memory");
• Sergej Obolenskij, an SFI graduate, Candidate of Technical Sciences ("Problems in Church and Public Commemoration of Victims of Soviet Repression (based on the example of the former NKVD special polygon ‘Kommunarka’)”;
• Timur Badmacyrenov, Associate Professor at Buryat State University, Doctor of Sociological Sciences (“The Future in the Past: The Commemorative Practices of Buddhist communities in Buryatia”);
• Ilya Udovenko, Senior Research Fellow at the Museum of the History of the GULAG (“Interactions with Representatives of Religious Organizations from Various Confessions. The Experience of the State Museum of GULAG History”); 
  …as well as others.