The challenges of Religious Pluralism in Post-Soviet Russia
Résumé
After demonstrating that religious diversity in Russia is due both tothe multinational character of the Russian Federation and toprocesses of increased globalization, this introduction to the issue ofreligious pluralism in post-Soviet Russia describes the logic of certainsocio-religious tensions in the country. It emphasizes two essentialproblems of managing religious plurality: Islam and new religiousmovements. It shows how the model of “laïcité” has developed duringthe past decade, with the Russian State oscillating between varioustypes of legitimization which are related to its heterogeneous culturalheritage. It also analyses how the Russian-Orthodox Church hasopposed religious individualization by referring to a communalreligion.