The article studies of the features of the “linguistic turn” in the context of the state and confessional policies of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Refusal to use the official language is a problem. In addition to the official religion, Orthodox Christianity, by a series of decrees of Catherine II, religious organizations of a number of other directions received the status of recognized ones. The issue of the language of office work became acute. Since the second half of the 18th century, knowledge of the state language and the ability to communicate in it has become an absolutely necessary competence for the head of a religious organization in Russia. Materials used as a basis for this study are stored at the Russian State Historical Archive in the collection of documents from the Department of Religious Affairs of Foreign Confessions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This study revealed that the introduction of mandatory language proficiency requirements was not an end in itself, but was a criterion for selecting cult leaders. A number of cases have been considered. The substantive content consists of incidents involving Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic, and Judaic content. Preferences in relation to any administrative structure have not been revealed. Causes of conflict and types of conflict-free communication have been identified. The results of the study are important for building constructive relations with representatives of religious hierarchies in a multinational and multi-confessional state, which is traditionally Russia.
Key words: The Russian Empire, the Asian part of Russia, Siberia, foreign confessions, clergy, knowledge of the state language, Russian, the language of worship
DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662-2024-4-36-45
About the author
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Tatyana G. Nedzelyuk – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Department of Regional Studies of Russia, National and State-Confessional Relations, Altai State University; leading Researcher at the Tobolsk Integrated Scientific Station of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; 61 Lenin str., Barnaul, 656049, Russia; tatned@mail.ru |