Riley NelsonAn event was held Thursday afternoon in the Nixon Lounge of the Hawthorne Longfellow Library to celebrate the launch of history professor Paige Helllinger’s new book, “Sacred Abstinence in Modern Russia: Faith Healers and Their Followers.” This book tells the story of “Brother Ioan” Churikov. , a sectarian religious leader in St. Petersburg.
Churikov, who gathered more than 100,000 followers around the time of the Russian Revolution, was famous among the residents of St. Petersburg for his natural charisma, powerful gaze, and ability to use prayers and prayers to cure various ailments, namely alcoholism. It was famous for. Bible. Herringer’s work focuses on his incredible popularity, his persecution by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Bolsheviks, and his loyal followers who continue to worship him today.
Following a brief introduction by Carmen Greenlee, Humanities and Media Librarian, Reed Johnson, Senior Lecturer in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies, spoke to Hellinger, before beginning the event with questions from the audience. Participated in conversations about research.
For Herlinger, the book’s completion not only marks the end of a multi-year academic process, but also the culmination of a lifelong interest in Russia that led her to become an academic in the first place.
“Growing up during the Cold War era of the ’70s and ’80s, I was always fascinated by the Soviet Union…I was really struck by how little Americans knew about Russians. It’s always been like that [portrayed as just] victim [of the communist regime],” she said. “I know that unfortunately, there’s still a lot of oppression and persecution that remains, but I really wanted to peel back the curtain and learn more about people. That’s why I went to graduate school. I went on to higher education.”
Together with Herringer’s first book, The Working Soul: Russian Orthodoxy and Factory Labor in St. Petersburg, 1880-1917, published in 2007, Sacred Temperance in Modern Russia provides an insight into the state of Russian society in the 20th century. The aim is to add a new dimension to. The history of Russia for centuries will be told.
“I’m trying to find a way to integrate…the religious life of the people into the story of the 20th century, which has traditionally been very secular. The Soviet Union, they’re militant atheists, but the people never stopped believing in God. Some did, but not all,” Herlinger said. “I’m interested not only in telling their stories, but also in showing how the secular and the religious, or the secular and the spiritual, have always been in dialogue. there is.”
According to Herringer, writing the book posed a unique set of historiographical challenges. Churikov’s current followers helped her gain access to materials for research, but the inclusion of her live interviews as part of her archive was a new experience. Moreover, Herringer’s desire to provide a complete history of Churikov required bridging two different fields.
“This is partly a matter of the field…in the sense that most people are trained as either religious historians or secular historians. We’ve been working hard to see how they inform each other,” Herlinger said.
Many in the audience were Professor Bowdoin, so there was a shared recognition of the quality of Hellinger’s research. Much of the Q&A section was devoted to questions about her research methods and comments praising her work. Mila Nikolova, visiting lecturer in Russian Studies, Eastern European Studies, and Eurasian Studies, highlighted the vast amount of research that “sacred abstinence in modern Russia” represents.
“This is an interesting topic, and as an academic, I very much admire Professor Hellinger’s work. Just knowing how it goes behind the scenes is a huge undertaking,” Nikolova said. Told.
Nikolova also praised how effectively Johnson and Helllinger presented the book’s content to the audience.
“This is an interesting archival exploration.” [to me as an academic], but also as an audience member, I appreciated it because it was a very engaging talk. “Just looking at the different members of the audience, there were people from the community, young researchers from different fields, and everyone was so drawn to this topic,” she said.
Eric Degodny ’24, one of Mr. Hellinger’s students, also spoke about how interested he was in the content of “Sacred Abstinence in Modern Russia” and how much he enjoyed the event overall.
“I wanted to know more about her scholarship and what she has been researching for a long time. I think what I’m interested in is how [Churikov’s] The legacy was able to live on even under very repressive regimes. Throughout the Tsarist era. The era of communism and totalitarianism.Even now, during the Putin regime, he still [relevant religious figure]” Degodony said. “I should have gone further.” [faculty book launches]”
Throughout the event, Hellinger expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to host the book launch event in Bowdoin.
“As anyone who has written a book knows, it’s incredibly exciting to be able to get a book out into the world…. These books take a lot of time to produce. ” she said. “It’s an honor to share this with the community.”
