Narratives about the Orthodox Faith in Contemporary Russia: The Series Spas pod berezami
Abstract
To what extent can traumas caused by the Soviet and Russian past be transformed and healed by narratives rooted in the Orthodox faith regarded as the foundation of Russian culture? The question is the leitmotif present in the source material analyzed in the paper, i.e., the television series Spas pod berezami by Leonid Eydlin. The episodes of the series address different facets of the cultural trauma produced by the unaccounted-for past, while developing a parallel narrative about forgiveness, humility, trust, and communion of people sharing in the common fate. The paper considers Orthodoxy as a culture and a faith, without analyzing, however, its theological aspect or its relationship to the state. A similar approach was adopted by Eydlin, who intended to make viewers acquainted with a different, less cruel reality than the one they experienced in their everyday life. The author concludes that the analyzed series is a narrative of great culture-creating potential. Spas pod berezami offers the viewers a means of self-inspection, provides them with a new perspective on their experience, and may contribute to healing the cultural trauma.
Keywords:
Leonid Eydlin, Orthodox faith, narrative, culture, film, contemporary RussiaReferences
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