God has nationality too: Religious nationalism and identity among Ukrainians


                                     Author: Denisa Sedláčková


~ Draft for the final paper for SOC585 Migration And Transnationalism –Migrating People, Migrating
                        Culture: Optics, Methods, And Impacts. Fall 2013 ~


Abstract:


A lot have been written on nationalism but the amount of attention given to religion in that matter
is far less. One of the reasons for this might be the transnational nature of religion and
religious institutions that does not coincide with nation-states’ units of analysis. Moving beyond
such a methodological nationalism (Wimmer, Glick Schiller 2003) will allow us to see religion.
Other reason for leaving religion out of these debates is that very often it is seen as something
that is in direct opposition with modernity, as opposition to “modern” or “civilized”. Hadden
(1987) argues that this belief reached the level of doctrine among social scientists, which
resulted in the idea rarely being subjected to any real scrutiny. This presumption of inherent
incompatibility of religion with modern institutions is not only shared by public discourse in
European countries but is still present in social science, even though many scholars of religion
(see for example Juergensmeyer 2003, Casanova 2006, Roy 2006 and others) are pointing out that we
are now witnessing worldwide resurgence of religion (if there ever were signs of its decline).

Paper will shortly address the debate around nationalism and the growing body of literature that
calls for recognition of the relation between religion and national feelings. Using the example of
Ukraine and Ukrainian immigrants in the Czech Republic, I will concentrate on the role religion
played (and still) plays in the idea of Ukrainian nationhood and by looking at the Ukrainian
Diaspora in the Czech Republic on the question of religiously infused nation-building process in
migration.

Central to this paper is the understanding of religion as central to lives of many individuals. As
such religion have implications not only for the way everyday live is structured but that it
consequently also influences human relations, politics and cultural identity by producing and
shaping worldviews and beliefs.



Questions:
  * What is the role of religion in relation to (Ukrainian) national identity?

Sub-questions:
  * How does the dynamic of this relation changes in emigration?


Concepts:

Religious nationalism  (Baker 2009;, Brubaker 2011)

Methodological nationalism (Wimmer, Glick Schiller 2003)

Transnational perspective (Levitt 2007)


Structure:

Theories of nationalism and missing religion

New perspectives on religion in the theories of nationalism

Ukraine – religion as building block of Ukrainianhood

Ukrainian Diaspora and transnational connections through churches




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