Department of Religious Studies

Many Russians interpret the war in Ukraine as a religious struggle between “Holy Russia” and satanic forces emanating from Europe and the United States. Why does this narrative about a “holy war” between Russia and “the West” resonate among the Russian Orthodox faithful? And how did this juxtaposition between “Holy Russia” and “the West” come about? This course engages these questions by examining the ways the Russian Orthodox Church thinks and talks about war. Students will learn how the idea of “Holy Russia” became intertwined with notions of “holy war,” and how Russian Orthodox thinkers have long imagined “the West” to be the enemy of God.

Credits: CASE A&H

• A&H
• What are CASE requirements?