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Religions
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Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism
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Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 6731

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lavinia Stan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Post-Communist Studies, Department of Political Science, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada
Interests: comparative politics; transitional justice; religion and politics
Prof. Dr. Ines Murzaku

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Religion, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, USA
Interests: Catholic Church history; Byzantine Christianity; Byzantine Monasticism; Medieval and Modern Christianity; ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The collapse of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union ushered in a complete overhaul of life in those countries. Self-declared atheistic regimes made way to incipient democracies that have struggled not only to accommodate diversity in all its forms, including freedom of religion, but also to recognize and respect the fundamental human rights of all citizens. The link between organized religion and human rights has been examined in-depth in some countries and areas of life more than in others, leading to an incomplete understanding of post-communist developments in religion and human rights. Thus, we are seeking contributions that shed new light on neglected aspects of religion and human rights in post-communist countries.

Contributions may investigate one country, event, or right or several. They can be case or comparative studies in nature, relying on theoretical and methodological perspectives drawn from disciplines such as history, political science, religious studies, sociology, and anthropology, and engage with interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches. Manuscripts of up to 8,000 words in length will undergo a double-blind peer-review process before being accepted for publication.

Contributors should signal their interest in participating in this Special Issue of Religions by sending a 500-word abstract and a short bio to the co-editors by October 1, 2022. The deadline for manuscript submission is March 1, 2023. Peer reviewing is anticipated to take up to two months. Publication of the Special Issue is scheduled for June 1, 2023.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lavinia Stan
Prof. Dr. Ines Murzaku
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human rights
  • religion
  • right to worship
  • freedom of thought
  • belief and religion
  • repression
  • persecution
  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • minority religions

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 180 KiB  
Editorial
Introduction: Religion and Human Rights in Post-Communism
by Lavinia Stan and Ines Angeli Murzaku
Religions 2023, 14(9), 1165; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14091165 - 13 Sep 2023
Viewed by 585
Abstract
In this Special Issue, “religion” is understood as a set of beliefs and values and a corresponding way of life that embodies and enacts these values, including an understanding of the world [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

12 pages, 307 KiB  
Article
Repatriation of Muslim Georgians: Mission Accomplished?
by Anna Dolidze
Religions 2023, 14(7), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070939 - 20 Jul 2023
Viewed by 760
Abstract
This article focuses on the repatriation process for Muslim Meskhetians deported from Soviet Georgia. It describes the repatriation process initiated after the collapse of the communist regime, showcasing the links between these efforts and Georgia’s request for membership in the Council of Europe [...] Read more.
This article focuses on the repatriation process for Muslim Meskhetians deported from Soviet Georgia. It describes the repatriation process initiated after the collapse of the communist regime, showcasing the links between these efforts and Georgia’s request for membership in the Council of Europe in 1996. The article finds that the Georgian government had a superficial approach to repatriation, and several factors hindered repatriation, including the difficulty in disseminating the information related to the application requirements, which were not made accessible in the languages in which the applicants were fluent. Moreover, as Georgia allowed dual citizenship only in exceptional circumstances, the applicants had to renounce their original citizenship to be allowed to seek citizenship in Georgia. Some of them were hesitant to do so, a position that represented an obstacle to application. The most significant impediment was the lack of objectively defined criteria for repatriation success. Without detailed criteria as to what amounted to proper repatriation, the degree of the success of the process is hard to assess. The international community has departed from approaching repatriation as a formal return process. The concept has assumed a “thicker” meaning of allowing returned individuals to resume their lives in the fullest sense, including assuming citizenship, return property etc. The case study shows that the Georgian case of repatriation has been formalistic. Full and seamless reinstatement of the deported people in their lives did not take place. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism)
20 pages, 385 KiB  
Article
The Agency in Islam or (and) Human Rights? The Case of Pious Baltic Muslim Women
by Morta Vidūnaitė
Religions 2023, 14(7), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070937 - 20 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1392
Abstract
This article focuses on the variety of ways pious Muslim women exercise their agency to navigate between religion, gender, and human rights in the dynamic post-Soviet Baltic societies. It shows that these women primarily find agency not in human rights but in Islam [...] Read more.
This article focuses on the variety of ways pious Muslim women exercise their agency to navigate between religion, gender, and human rights in the dynamic post-Soviet Baltic societies. It shows that these women primarily find agency not in human rights but in Islam as a religion that provides instruction on aspects of life related to human rights. They are empowered as individuals by Islam as the religion of their deliberate choice, which gives them meaning and guidance in life. They also find agency in their roles as wives and mothers as well as in the sisterhood of the Muslim community, while a career serves more as an area of personal autonomy and self-realization. This research is based on the analysis of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews conducted in 2021–2022. Baltic women’s narratives on human rights (and in the case of this research, specifically regarding gender and sexuality) and the role of Islam in their lives contributes to the redefinition of religious and secular concepts within a post-communist context and contributes to the wider scholarly debate on pious Muslim women living in non-Muslim democratic societies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism)
15 pages, 843 KiB  
Article
Hidden Dynamics of Religion and Human Rights in Central and Eastern Europe
by András Máté-Tóth and Gábor Dániel Nagy
Religions 2023, 14(7), 917; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070917 - 17 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1249
Abstract
The relationship between human rights and religion cannot be seen as a relationship between two entirely distinct sets of values Human rights are deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. However, throughout history religious institutions have interpreted human rights differently and have supported [...] Read more.
The relationship between human rights and religion cannot be seen as a relationship between two entirely distinct sets of values Human rights are deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. However, throughout history religious institutions have interpreted human rights differently and have supported or hindered their implementation. This paper discusses the relationship between human rights and religion in the social and cultural matrix of post-communist Central and Eastern Europe. Our statistical analysis focuses on Hungary as an example of the region. In our view, the variations in the relationship between human rights and religion in Central and Eastern Europe are primarily determined by the region’s wounded collective identity and the resulting overriding national and state security needs. Politically and culturally, the region is characterized by its betweenness, embodied in centuries of vulnerability to the great powers. Therefore, the social status and political discourse of human rights and religion should be tied to this primary regional marker. While examining the relationship between religion and human rights, we should be aware that the primary relationship is between human rights and the collective identity of the nation-state and between religion and the identity of the nation-state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism)
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18 pages, 341 KiB  
Article
Importing Religion into Post-Communist Albania: Between Rights and Obligations
by Enika Abazi
Religions 2023, 14(5), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14050658 - 15 May 2023
Viewed by 1741
Abstract
After the communist regime seized power in Albania in 1944, the vilification, humiliation, persecution and execution of clergy of all faiths, including Muslim, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, were conducted publicly. Religious estates were nationalized in 1946, and around the same time, religious [...] Read more.
After the communist regime seized power in Albania in 1944, the vilification, humiliation, persecution and execution of clergy of all faiths, including Muslim, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, were conducted publicly. Religious estates were nationalized in 1946, and around the same time, religious institutions were closed or converted into warehouses, gymnasiums, workshops or cultural centers. In the communist constitution of 1976, Albania became the first constitutional atheist state in the world. In Article 37 of the Constitution was stated “the state does not recognize any religion”. Albanians were forced to deny their religion, change their belief system and adopt the new socialist way of life that praised secular gods such as the Communist Party and its leaders. The image of the party leader replaced religious icons. Young people were encouraged to follow worldly pursuits, including offering their life for communist deities. With the fall of communism, Albanian clerics and foreign missionaries encouraged the revival of religiosity in the country. Because in Albania, religious institutions and clergy did not exist for more than 3 decades, foreign actors played a major role in the return of religion to social life and among young people. Post-communist Albania represents a quintessential case study of importing religion into a formerly atheistic country that lacked qualified clergy, religious institutions and strong religious beliefs. In the permissive post-communist Albania, people, especially young people, attributed different meanings to religion and religiosity. Mere investigations and surveys of faith communities along traditional lines would fail to provide useful insights into the significant transformations that have impacted the religious field in Albania after the fall of the communist regime and the current challenges faced by new and “traditional” denominations. The post-communist religious context is dominated by two opposing currents: The first trend is marked by the legal organization of religious practice in the public space, which grants freedoms and equality to the “traditional” religions recognized by the state, but autonomous and independent from it. The other trend is shaped by the rituals and practices of believers from abroad who are pushing for the creation of new autonomous religious communities. This paper is not investigating religious “communitarianism” along traditional lines but rather examines salient religious identification and societal relationships and discusses their implications. This analysis rests on survey data and free-flowing and open-ended interviews conducted mainly with students of the Political Science Department of the University of Tirana and of the European University of Tirana, as well as research of different social networks. The article is divided into three parts, which present the following: literature insights, the historical background of Albania’s secularization and current religious trends and practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion and Human Rights in Post-communism)
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