Mennonites

Mennonites in North America and the USSR in the Mid-1950s: Small People and Big Politics

The «New» Mennonites of the Ural and Siberia: Genesis and Transformation of Ethnoconfessional Communities in the 1940s – 1960s

The article explores the genesis and transformation of Soviet ethno-confessional communities in the 1940s – 1960s, using the case of the so called «new» Mennonite communities in the Ural and Siberia. The development of these communities depended on the extreme conditions of a transition they went through, from the traditional rural life to the urban industrial setting. In these communities we see new mechanisms of solidarity, based on inter-communal and inter-religious communication.

The Historical Roots and the Correlation of Confessional and Ethnic Elements within Mennonite Identity in the USSR

The article examines historical roots and dynamics of Mennonite identity in USSR using the concept of an ethno-confessionality, introduced to Soviet religious studies by Alexei N. Ipatov. As a result of secularization, in the beginning of the 20th century a part of Mennonites gave up religion but continued to regard themselves Mennonites by culture, and Mennonite identity ceased to be strictly religious. During the Civil War, the confessional identity lost its traditional core — obligatory nonresistance.

“With no Preachers, at the Corner of Barracks…” Protestant “Barrack Communities” in Perm’-Kama Region in 1940–1950-s

This paper looks into the emergence and existence of protestant groups in towns and workers’ settlements of western Urals region in 1940-1960s. The everyday circumstances of local residents and migrants led to the formation of what we can call “barracks communities” of believers. The exiled “special settlers” sent to this area were adapting to the situation and created modes of consolidation in an alien environment. The author believes that these Baptist and Mennonite communities tended to serve as substitution for the lacking established Protestant institutions.