Framing Russian State-Church Relations
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
In the Russian history, the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government has fluctuated, from being a beneficial relationship for both parties in the era before Peter the Great, to almost being eradicated under the Soviet Union. Research focusing on the contemporary Russian state-church relationship have pointed to signs that the church has become a central actor in shaping the Russian identity, legitimizing the state and its policies as well as influencing government policies, but at same time research has also shown that there are more than a few critical voices expressing discontent on state policy. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how representatives of the Russian state publicly describe its relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church by applying a framing typology, that previously have been used on Orthodox online media, on statements given by Russian government representatives between January 2012 and March 2024. This thesis concludes that there is a discrepancy in how representatives from the two government branches under investigation, the Presidential Administration and the Foreign Ministry, describe the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. While the Presidential Administration describes the relationship through positive commentary and the Foreign Ministry more through cooperation, the overall description should be seen somewhere between cooperation and support.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. , p. 83
Keywords [en]
Russia, state-church relations, Russian state-church relations, Russian Orthodox Church, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Presidential Administration of Russia, framing analysis
National Category
Political Science (Excluding Peace and Conflict Studies)
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-554978OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-554978DiVA, id: diva2:1953339
Educational program
Master's Programme in Russian and Eurasian Studies
Supervisors
2025-04-222025-04-202025-04-22Bibliographically approved