Representation of the Historical Role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Context of Teaching Russian History (2013–2023)

Abstract

The article discusses the policy of the Russian Orthodox Church aimed at including elements of confessional history in secular educational and methodological narratives. As the content of the Russian history course was standardized for schools, and then the regulatory requirements for the results of studying the compulsory Russian history course at universities were established, the importance of these channels for the formation of collective memory has increased significantly. The analysis revealed three main strategies of the Russian Orthodox Church to influence the content of these courses: focusing on episodes of participation of hurch hierarchs in rucial events that changed the course of the history of Russian statehood, a gradual expansion of the range of mentioned personalities related to the history of the Church and, finally, an appeal to a civilizational approach that focuses on the value foundations of political history, which gives the Russian Orthodox Church a symbolic advantage as a “state-forming” denomination.