DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2020-4-679-687

Transformation of social and liturgical practices of Perm religious organizations under the influence of lockdown and the pandemic

Pavel F. Sirotkin
Ph.D. in Sociology,
Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology

Perm State University,
15, Bukirev str., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: spf@list.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2838-7679

The article provides a brief description of the religious space of the Perm region and analyzes social and liturgical practices and possible options for their transformation as a result of self-isolation of residents of the Perm region from April to December 2020. There is a General trend towards the virtualization of religious space, the use of which ceases to be specific only for new religious teachings. Traditional religious denominations are beginning to actively use the Internet space, offering believers a virtual religious product, however, an important assumption is made that traditional organizations are not ready to completely replace traditional social and liturgical practices, which are an important part of the religious process, with their virtual counterparts. The article clarifies the concept of «religious practices» and suggests that the speed of transformation processes depends on the size of urban agglomeration and the complexity of building a religious space in a particular area. In particular, the analysis of Protestant religious space, high organizational complexity and low vertical structure that allows Protestant religious groups, organizations or associations as quickly as possible to implement its social and liturgical practice traditional religious archetype innovations. The article deals with the peculiarities of transformation of social and liturgical practices in the majority of religious organizations and associations registered in the territory of the city of Perm. The analysis of the processes taking place in the religious environment in a large urban agglomeration with a complex structure of religious space shows the presence of transformational changes in the implementation of social and liturgical practices of religious organizations and associations under the influence of self-isolation and a pandemic, despite the conservative conditions of the internal religious environment.

Keywords: social practices, religious organizations, virtualization of religion.

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Received 01.11.2020

For citation:

Sirotkin P.F. [Transformation of social and liturgical practices of Perm religious organizations under the influence of lockdown and the pandemic]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Filosofia. Psihologia. Sociologia [Perm University Herald. Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology], 2020, issue 4, pp. 679–687 (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2020-4-679-687