Robert Crews “Empire and the Confessional State: Islam and Religious Politics in Nineteenth-Century Russia” American Historical Review (February 2003) p. 50-83

Concern with nationalistic identity and the growing suspicion of foreign elements within the empire were paramount issues faced by the Russian government in the 19th century. Especially difficult were questions regarding the role of the Russian government in the affairs of non-Orthodox communities, particularly the Muslim groups that spanned throughout the south and southeastern portions of Russia. Fears of a pan-Muslim state under the leadership of the Ottoman Sultan prompted the Imperial authorities to come up with a method of incorporating the Muslim groups into the bureaucratic structure, binding them to the fate of the Russian state. The model chosen based itself upon the relationship the Tsarist state held with the Russian Orthodox Church, in that the Muslim religious community would be able to govern its own affairs so long as they affirmed to the idea of an ‘Orthodox’ belief and not one of a ‘heretical’ nature. The conflict then shifted towards defining what was ‘Orthodox’ and not in Muslim belief, similar to the debate occurring with Russian Orthodox believers and dvoeverie. Instead of suppressing the Islamic faith, the Russian state policed it. Therefore, elites in the Muslim faith competed to define true Muslim ‘Orthodoxy’ to the State using the discursive frameworks already established within the Imperial context.

Using court records, petitions, and denunciations from central and regional archives, as well as accounts from local Muslim communities to analyze the relationship the Imperial state held with the Islamic faith, Crews argues that this particular situation possessed two levels. First, the model established to integrate the Muslim faith into the Imperial bureaucracy based itself upon the ideal of a ‘confessional’ state, which implied construction and implementation of an ‘Orthodox’ ideal in recognized religious communities. Second, attempts by Muslim elites to define ‘Orthodoxy’ to the State represented a battle between co-religionists to define and establish their own content of orthodox belief. Their arguments drew in all levels of society and also incorporated the Tsarist regime to act as a mediator for disputes that arose. Muslim communities sought to construct a relationship using Imperial terms and concepts, allowing the State to regulate traditional areas of Islamic faith, marriage, divorce, inheritance, clerical appointments, etc… While these regulations drew the Muslim communities closer to the Tsarist state, it also made Russian authorities responsible for enforcing Islamic ‘Orthodox’ doctrine and supporting functionaries they often mistrusted. Despite these potential pitfalls, the Muslim/State relationship formed the core of empire building and promoted stability of Tsarist rule.

Crew’s analysis explores the tensions inherent between promotion of Russian national and imperial state-building ideals. Interactions with the Muslim community allowed the Tsarist regime to develop new methods of interaction with non-Orthodox religious communities, a concern for the expansive and diverse empire. Yet the acceptance of other faiths outside of Orthodoxy complicated the States goal of defining and pursuing a Russian nationality, which inherently contained Russian Orthodox belief as a key component. This aspect of Crew’s

analysis is the most interesting, and warrants further investigation of this dynamic tension with regards to other religious groups within the Russian empire.

Jeremy Antley