Editorial – Issue 14
Orthodoxy in Russia
In October 2015, Runet heatedly discussed the leak of information about the (failed) attempt of the Russian Ministry of Communications to cut the country off from the …
Read More
The Medium for Demonic Energies: ‘Digital Anxiety’ in the Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church’s (ROC) discourses about the internet are centered on the idea that digital technology is an ethically neutral instrument. At the same time, however, both the highest …
Read More
Wi-Fi in Plato’s Cave: The Digital Icon and the Phenomenology of Surveillance
The following article takes the negative attitude of the Orthodox Church to the internet as a phenomenon, which derives from a complex development of theories of the icon-medium. I argue …
Read More
Between Homophobia and Gay Lobby: the Russian Orthodox Church and its Relationship to Homosexuality in Online Discussions
In this article, I address the Church-critical discourse on the relationship between Russian Orthodoxy and homosexuality that pervaded social media discussions after the Church hierarchy was publicly accused of engaging …
Read More
Post-Secularity and Digital Anticlericalism on Runet
This article deals with the phenomenon of “digital anti-clericalism” in the Russian-speaking sphere of the Internet (Runet). In the context of post-secularism the claims of Russian clerical and bureaucratic elites …
Read More
Heretical Virtual Movement in Russian Live Journal Blogs: between Religion and Politics
The article explores how the heresy of the post-denominational community is presented in Russian LiveJournal. The definition of heresy and the rhetoric associated with it is determined by the so-called …
Read More
Orthodox Online Media in Runet. History of Development and Current State of Affairs
The article deals with the history of the Orthodox segment of Runet, tracing its origins and uncovering key tendencies of its development. Specifically, it discusses ‘colonization’ of the internet by …
Read More
The Body of Christ Online: The Russian Orthodox Church and (Non-)Liturgical Interactivity on the Internet
Since 2011, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) leaders have been officially promoting an active online interaction between the Church and its believers. They publish official draft texts online and encourage …
Read More
The Religious Identity of Russian Internet Users: Attitudes Towards God and Russian Orthodox Church
The paper examines the religious identity of Russian internet users, analyzing attitudes towards God and the Russian Orthodox Church in the internet-based ‘mass self-communication’. Since the religious identity debate is …
Read More
‘Ortho-Blogging’ from Inside: A Virtual Roundtable
This paper presents a ‘virtual roundtable’, compiled from the written interviews with blogging Orthodox priests and religious activists. They relate their experiences and reflections on digitalization of the Orthodox religion, …
Read More
Russian Orthodox Church and New Media: To Be or Pretend to Be? (Conference Overview)
This paper is a survey of the roundtable discussion at the Russian Orthodox University (Moscow). The debates among Orthodox journalists, academics and clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church were centered …
Read More
My Digital Collection of Icons
In this paper father Tikhon Kozushin relates his experience of engaging with the internet. He presents his vast collection of digital icons and reflects upon uses of the digital medium …
Read More
