Activism in the Communities of Evangelical Christians–Baptists in the Late USSR: Gender Aspects of Narrative Construction

Abstract

This article analyzes the forms of protest activism in the community of unregistered congregations of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of the USSR in the 1960–80s. Belonging to the illegal movement of Evangelical Christians–Baptists was a peculiar form of religious activism. Funerals and weddings of members of Baptist congregations, trials and exits from prison were all turned into manifestations of their faith. However, a closer look at samizdat reports and memories of believers, which constituted the main source base for this study, reveals gender specificities in the representation of activism. The author notes that men were the most visible "heroes of faith". At the same time, while men's activism was aimed primarily at maintaining the internal stability of the community (and constructing an identity through conflict with the leadership of the registered official Baptist structure in the USSR), a significant proportion of women's activism provided opportunities for the representation of male activism in the external environment, enhancing its visibility and creating a heroic narrative of suffering. The invisibility of many forms of women's activism is interpreted not only as the dominance of patriarchal attitudes, but also as part of women's piety. At the same time, women, while adhering to patriarchal patterns of behaviour with-in the community, were aware of their full subjectivity in the secular legal system. Women acted as fighters for religious freedom through petitions and appeals, claiming infringement and discrimination not only on their rights, but also on those of their families.