printIn the Shadow of Postsecularism:
the Specifics of Interfaith Dialogue in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
Atlaskirov A.R.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Senior Researcher, North Caucasian Branch of FCTAS RAS, Nalchik, Russia atlaskirov.albert@yandex.ru
Kumykov A.M.
Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Prof., Director, North Caucasian Branch of FCTAS RAS, Nalchik, Russia auyes.kumykov.@mail.ru
Atlaskirov A.R., Kumykov A.M. In the Shadow of Postsecularism: the Specifics of Interfaith Dialogue in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 7. P. 115-126
The relevance of the work is determined by the need to monitor the religious situation in a multiethnic region in the context of global post-secular processes, where religion returns to the public space, becoming a marker of identity. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the concepts of post-secularism. Habermas, Charles Taylor, as well as the ideas of “patchwork religiosity” by D. Hervier-Leger. The article presents the results of a sociological study of interfaith relations in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic conducted in February 2025 (N = 1000). The levels of declarative religiosity and real piety, i.e. orientation to religious norms in everyday life, are analyzed. It has been found that a low level of household piety among the Orthodox population correlates with high tolerance, while among Muslim peoples a relatively high religious self-identification does not always translate into intolerance. The zones of stable interfaith harmony and zones of potential tension are highlighted. The low level of declared intolerance against the background of the perception of discrimination recorded by certain groups (especially Kabardians) indicates the transitional, latent nature of possible conflicts. The religious factor in the CBD is not so much a direct cause of discord as a language of articulation of ethnocultural differences and a tool for mobilizing social capital.
Atlaskirov A.R. (2020) The Transformation of Religious Values of Youth of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in the Context of Globalization. Vlast’ [The Authority]. Vol. 28. No. 1: 151–159. DOI: 10.31171/vlast.v28i1.7068; EDN: NZAWWO. (In Russ.)
Bachinin V.A. (2014) Sociology and theology: once again on Comtean episode in intellectual history. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 5: 112–120. EDN: SEJMZV. (In Russ.)
Baudrillard J. (2015) Simulacra and Simulation. Moscow: POSTUM. (In Russ.)
Cox H. (1995) The Secular City. Moscow: Vost. lit-ra. (In Russ.) Emelyanov N.N. (2018) Religiosity paradox: where do believers come from? Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: Ekonomicheskie i sotsial’nye peremeny [Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes]. No. 2: 32–48. DOI: 10.14515/monitoring.2018.2.02; EDN: XOFYDJ. (In Russ.)
Ervieu-Léger D. (2015) In Search of Certainty: The Paradoxes of Religiosity in Societies of Developed Modernity. Gosudarstvo, religiya, tserkov’ v Rossii i za rubezhom [State, Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide]. No 1: 254–268. EDN: UIXFLH. (In Russ.)
Grishaeva E., Cherkasova A. (2013) Orthodox Christianity and New Age Beliefs among University Students of Russia: a Case of Post-Communist Mixed Religiosity. Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe. No. 6(1): 9–20.
Habermas J. (2002) Glauben und Wissen. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.
King M. (2009) Postsecularism: The Hidden Challenge to Extremism. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co.
Kumykov A.M., Khubiev B.B. et al. (2017) Ethnosocial processes and interfaith relations in the North Caucasus. Teorii i problemy politicheskikh issledovanii [Theories and Problems of Political Studies]. No. 6: 122–142. EDN: YUTETK. (In Russ.)
Musaev A.U. (2024) From Kazan to Grozny: How Existential Security Makes People Less Religious (the Cases of Volga and North Caucasus Republics of Russia). Gosudarstvo, religiya, tserkov’ v Rossii i za rubezhom [State, Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide]. No. 42(4): 224–254. DOI: 10.22394/2073-7203-2024-42-4-224-254; EDN: CQWIKC. (In Russ.)
Shaojeva, N.A., Tkhagazitov, Yu.M. (2016) Issues of Interfaith and Interethnic Relations in the Public Opinion of the Cossacks of Kabardino-Balkaria. Gumanitarnye, sotsial’no-ekonomicheskie i obshchestvennye nauki [Humanities, Socio-Economic and Social Sciences]. No. 8(9): 164–166. EDN WMIHTL. (In Russ.)
Shogenov, M.Z. (2011) Ot religioznoy identichnosti k religioznomu ekstremizmu v Kabardino-Balkarii: identifikatsiya i analiz konfliktnykh poley [From Religious Identity to Religious Extremism inKabardino-Balkaria: Identification and Analysis of Conflict Fields]. In: Ot ponimaniya lokal’nykh konfliktov k ispol’zovaniyu shansov razvitiya [From understanding local conflicts to using development opportunities. A collection of scientific papers]. Iss. 1. Ed. by J. Kyohler, A.Gunya. Berlin-Nalchik: Print Centr: 105–125. (In Russ.)
Smirnov М.Yu. (2014) Religious sociology and sociology of religion: interrelation and relationships. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 8: 136–142. EDN: SOARXH. (In Russ.)
Taylor Ch. (2007) A secular age. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Tschannen O. (1992) La genese de l’approche moderne de la secularization une analyse en histoire de la sociologie. Social Compass. Vol. 39. No. 2: 291–308.
Tumov A.A., Luyev A.K. (2024) The state of interethnic and interreligious relations among young (the case of Kabardino-Balkaria). Gumanitariy Yuga Rossii [Humanities of the South of Russia]. Vol. 13. No. 6: 209–219. DOI: 10.18522/2227-8656.2024.6.16; EDN: PXKSEM. (In Russ.)
Uzlaner D. (2011) Introduction to the postsecular philosophy. Logos [Logos]. No. 3(82): 3–32. EDN: RVREUP. (In Russ.)