Russian Church Schism and the Formation of “Two Russias”

Describes the course and nature of Raskol (splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century). The author considers the effects of the split on Old Believers, which led to the enforced adaptation of ideological modernism that combined with their original traditionalism. While proceeding from participants of traditional spiritual movement to religious adepts, Old Believers have developed their own ideology and negative identity (which are the main points of the modern type of religiosity). Though Old Believers confronted Modernity both ideologically and mentally, they used veiled postmodern mechanisms, which are actively run today for shaping stylistics and imitationalism of the postmodern spirituality.