In the context of emigration and intercultural interaction, issues of education and cultural revitalization were important for establishing national identity and coherence among diaspora communities. The Russian diaspora in Manchuria, formed in the first half of the 20th century, faced the challenge of organizing not only their spiritual, but also educational, cultural, and social lives. In this regard, the Harbin Exarchate played a significant role as a structure uniting representatives of the Catholic community following the Byzantine Rite. This organization helped preserve the national heritage, form cultural identity, and provide social support. Its activities served as an important tool for adapting and integrating Russian emigrants into their new environment, enabling them to maintain their connection to historical traditions while successfully responding to the challenges posed by their new surroundings. The article attempts to analyze the sociocultural and educational initiatives of the exarchate, which had a significant impact on the development and sustainability of the Russian emigrant community in Harbin. The research is based on the study of surviving archival materials from the Exarchate, documents from the Catholic Church, memoirs of pupils from educational institutions, and scientific literature that to a greater or lesser extent touches upon the issues under discussion.
Key words: Roman Catholic Church, exarchate, Byzantine Rite, education, culture, emigration, religious landscape, Harbin, Manchuria, China, Russia
DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662-2025-1-15-33
About the author
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Nikolai V. Chirkov – religious studies scholar, PhD, Associate Professor at the Institute of St. Tomas Aquinas (Žilina, Slovakia), Department of the Pontifical Salesian University (Turin, Italy); Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Archaeology and Anthropology of Amur State University (Blagoveshchensk, Russia); 27 S. Caboto st., Torino, 10129, Italy; сThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |