history of everyday life

Christian Denominations in Soviet Byelorussia in 1929–1939: Active and Passive Forms of Resistance

The author presents a detailed analysis of the reactions of believers in Belorussia to the official religious policies in the 1930s; their reactions are examined through the lens of the “history of everyday life” approach. The main sources were collections of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, fund #4p “Central Committee of the Communist Bolshevik Party of Belorussia, 1917-1941.”

Taking the Holy Communion in Soviet Era: Practices of the Russian Orthodox Laity

The paper uses the method of historical anthropology to look at the evolution of the practice of the Holy Communion in the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet era. The author shows that the frequency of individual communion increased in 5-10 times comparing to the pre-Revolutionary period when it was usually practiced no more than once a year.