2017/11/25 by Bruno De Cordier, Cristina Boboc · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Soviet and Russian History #Religion and Society Interactions #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1163/22142290-00404003
openalex publication_date 2017/11/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Based on field observations and an empirical survey on religion and identity that was conducted among the Slavic Orthodox population in the wider Baku area and in Ganja, this article examines the identity and social position of this community, now the country’s main Christian population group. While earlier research on the nominally Christian Slavic groups in the Caspian–Central Asian space tended to concentrate on ethnolinguistic and political issues, this research focuses on religious identification, religious practice, and the status of the Orthodox Church. Numbering just 1.5 percent of the population, the Orthodox Christian community in Azerbaijan is nearing extinction due to its aging membership. Nonetheless, Orthodox Christianity will keep a presence in the country and its society, although it could attract a more heterogeneous following.