ANOMY, SEARCH FOR IDENTITY AND RELIGION IN RUSSIA

Russia suffers today from a lack of identity which concerns its geographical as well as its political space. In this context of anomie it uses the religious register to find a new identity. Thus the Orthodox religion appears as the basis of a new collective project but also as a source of new cleavages. Nevertheless religion suffers from the consequences of the ''destructuring'' of society. Beside religious identification which involves a strong cultural aspect, denominational vagueness is widespread. The search for identity does not automatically entail the emergence of an ''ethnic religion''. Like society itself, religious traditions are being torn apart.