Russia's war against Ukraine has highlighted the complex phenomenon of Russian patriotism that inspires non-Russian peoples to fight and die for the "Russian world." Although to a large extent the Buryats end up at the front against their will, it is they who, for various reasons, have become a kind of metaphor for this phenomenon in the Western mass media. Since a lot of Buddhist lamas have taken a patriotic position in the current war, they play an important role in maintaining Russian patriotism among the Buryat combatants. In this talk, the lecturer will attempt to answer two questions: “How continuous and consistent is Buddhist patriotism in Russia?” and “What are its causes and origins?” To do this, he will analyze the activities of the Buddhist clergy during WWI and WWII, placing this analysis in the context of general reflections on the history of the Buddhist Sangha in Russia.
Period
Nov 14 2024
Held at
Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA, United States