Book Launch: "A Sacred Space is Never Empty: A History of Soviet Atheism" with Dr. Victoria Smolkin
Event Sponsor
Overview
The Bolsheviks imagined Communism as a world without religion. The Soviet experiment was the first attempt to turn this vision into reality. Following the 1917 revolution, the Soviet leadership used a variety of tools -- from education to propaganda and terror -- to overcome religion. Yet through its engagements with religion, the Soviet leadership realized that removing religion from the "sacred spaces" of Soviet life was not enough. In the launch for her new book “A Sacred Space is Never Empty: A History of Soviet Atheism,” Victoria Smolkin will consider Soviet atheism and its importance for understanding religious life, the Soviet experiment, and Russian politics.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
Speaker
Victoria Smolkin
Associate Professor, Department of History, Wesleyan University
Hosted By
Kennan Institute
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. Read more
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