Post-secularism in modern Russia: dangers and prospects

Abstract

The article is based on the discussion of the concepts of "post-secular so- ciety" and "post-secularism" discussed in the social sciences and the possibility of their use for analyzing the processes taking place in modern Russian society. A number of serious Russian scientists, researchers of religious processes, express objections to the use of the concepts of "post-secular society", "post-secularism", considering the ongo- ing processes to be a continuation of secularization. Analyzing their arguments, the authors come to the conclusion that there is no reason to talk about the existence of a post-secular society in modern Russia. However, post-secularism as a communicative phenomenon with a normative perspective is quite an actual and empirically verifiable concept. Such fixed phenomena as reconfiguration, demarginalization of religion, in- terfaith competition, interfaith cooperation are new forms of public relations that can- not be evaluated as the results of either secularization or desecularization. The emer- gence of postsecular quality of communication creates conditions for the establishment of fundamentally new forms of relations between various ideological groups, as well as for the transformation of state-confessional relations. The formation of post-secular public relations creates both dangers and new prospects. The dangers are connected with the contradictions arising in connection with the return of religion to the public environment. Thus, the reconfiguration may threaten the clericalization of public life. At the same time, the demarginalization of religion is a condition for public dialogue between representatives of different ideological positions.