Project Details
Description
Objective
TheoTerra investigates the theopolitics of Orthodox Christianity in Moldova, a country situated at the frontline of the contest between European integration and Russian influence. In this context, religious institutions do not act solely as spiritual authorities; they actively mediate political allegiance, social cohesion, and civil resilience. While scholarship has often overlooked religion as a driver of regional politics, in Moldova the Orthodox Church operates as a significant political actor, shaping state policies and everyday social practices.
The project adopts a multi-scalar approach that combines historical research, ethnographic fieldwork, and comparative analysis to examine the interactions between canonical claims, parish-level practices, and transnational Orthodox networks. The first objective maps and analyzes competing Orthodox jurisdictions, including the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia and the Metropolitanate of Chișinău and All Moldova, tracing historical developments under Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet regimes. The second objective explores parish-level responses, including clergy defections and lay affiliations, with attention to gender, generation, and socio-economic context, highlighting how local actors mediate broader theopolitical dynamics. The third objective situates Moldova’s ecclesiastical disputes in a broader post-Soviet and Eastern European comparative framework, including Ukraine and Georgia, to assess intersections with state sovereignty and regional geopolitics.
TheoTerra combines archival research, interviews, participant observation, and digital media analysis. Findings will be disseminated through academic outputs (primarily a monograph) and multimodal outputs in partnership with Moldovan cultural institutions and independent media. By linking historical trajectories, local practices, and regional geopolitics, the TheoTerra investigates the theopolitics of canonical territory in Moldova’s Orthodox Churches.
TheoTerra investigates the theopolitics of Orthodox Christianity in Moldova, a country situated at the frontline of the contest between European integration and Russian influence. In this context, religious institutions do not act solely as spiritual authorities; they actively mediate political allegiance, social cohesion, and civil resilience. While scholarship has often overlooked religion as a driver of regional politics, in Moldova the Orthodox Church operates as a significant political actor, shaping state policies and everyday social practices.
The project adopts a multi-scalar approach that combines historical research, ethnographic fieldwork, and comparative analysis to examine the interactions between canonical claims, parish-level practices, and transnational Orthodox networks. The first objective maps and analyzes competing Orthodox jurisdictions, including the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia and the Metropolitanate of Chișinău and All Moldova, tracing historical developments under Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet regimes. The second objective explores parish-level responses, including clergy defections and lay affiliations, with attention to gender, generation, and socio-economic context, highlighting how local actors mediate broader theopolitical dynamics. The third objective situates Moldova’s ecclesiastical disputes in a broader post-Soviet and Eastern European comparative framework, including Ukraine and Georgia, to assess intersections with state sovereignty and regional geopolitics.
TheoTerra combines archival research, interviews, participant observation, and digital media analysis. Findings will be disseminated through academic outputs (primarily a monograph) and multimodal outputs in partnership with Moldovan cultural institutions and independent media. By linking historical trajectories, local practices, and regional geopolitics, the TheoTerra investigates the theopolitics of canonical territory in Moldova’s Orthodox Churches.
| Acronym | THEOTERRA |
|---|---|
| Status | Not started |
| Effective start/end date | 2/05/27 → 1/05/29 |
Keywords
- Moldova
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- political theology
- post-Soviet societies
- Transnistria
- Russian influence
- Russkii Mir
- ecclesiastical jurisdiction
- parish ethnography
- European integration
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