Date:
Location:
Tornike Metreveli, HURI Research Fellow in Ukrainian Studies; Docent (Associate Professor) in Sociology of Religions at Lund University
In Person
Russia's war in Ukraine, annexation of Crimea, and full-scale military invasion have exposed the significant role Orthodox Christianity plays in international relations, functioning as a geopolitical force in its own right. Putin's multiple attempts to frame Russia's war in Ukraine as part of a broader cultural or even civilizational clash is underscored by religious semantics. Amid shifting political and religious landscapes, the two major Orthodox churches in Ukraine grapple with their historical roles, economic status, and power dynamics, using their agency to adapt to rapidly changing political contexts. However, the question remains: how has the war affected the lived religious experiences of ordinary parishioners?
This presentation investigates the theological, political-institutional, and grassroots tensions between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (under the canonical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the canonical jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate). How do varying interpretations of canonical territory contribute to ongoing tensions over church jurisdictions and church property? To gain a more nuanced understanding, this presentation examines political geographies produced through religious discourse, investigating how concepts such as territory, sovereignty, and nationhood feature in the theo-political discourse of the two churches.
Combining institutional analysis with extensive ethnography of parish life in Ukraine, this presentation introduces the theoretical framework of "sentimental orthodoxy," which captures the affective attachments and symbolic meanings that drive religious practices and beliefs. This framework helps to illuminate the resilience and agency of local religious communities in Ukraine during times of organizational conflict, providing insights into the relationship between historical memory, national identity, and religious practice.
About the Speaker
Tornike Metreveli is a Docent (Associate Professor) in Sociology of Religions at Lund University. He earned his doctorate in sociology from the University of Bern in 2017 and has held distinguished fellowships at the University of St. Gallen, Harvard's Davis Center, the London School of Economics, the House of Commons, and the University of Edinburgh.
Metreveli’s first book, Orthodox Christianity and the Politics of Transition, delves into the role and influence of Orthodox Christianity in contemporary politics in Ukraine, Serbia, and Georgia. As the Principal Investigator for the territoriality of the Georgian Orthodox Church (toc.ge), Metreveli was awarded the EU Prize for Journalism in 2023. He is an editor of the Religion in Praxis blog and host of the Religion in Praxis podcast. Currently, Metreveli is a Research Fellow in Ukrainian Studies at the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University (HURI).
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