Sacred springs in the camps : Gulag memory, legend, and place / Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rouhier-Willoughby, Jeanmarie, 1961- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Springs--Russia (Federation)--Siberia--Religious aspects.

Springs.

Sacred space--Russia (Federation)--Siberia.

Sacred space.

Legends--Russia (Federation)--Siberia.

Legends.

Internment camps--Russia (Federation)--Siberia--History.

Internment camps.

Siberia (Russia)--Religious life and customs.

Siberia (Russia).

Physical Description:

xi, 188 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wisconsin : The University of Wisconsin Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Former Gulag sites-operating theaters of terror during the Stalinist period-are scattered across western Siberia, where memories of the purges run deep. The camps represent some of the most horrific events of the Soviet past, and yet their current role is complicated. Focusing on three former prison camps, folklorist Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby untangles a surprising nexus of memory, legend, and vernacular religious practice afforded by the existence of sacred springs at these sites. Grounded by detailed ethnography, Sacred Springs in the Camps explores how legend creates, negotiates, and challenges collective memory; how lived religious practices intersect with the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church; how politics intertwine with belief; and how the social construction of sacred places affects folk narratives, faith, and local identity. These unlikely holy waters thus reflect important facets of contemporary Russian religion, politics, and society, refracting and reframing memories of the socialist past even as they offer important lessons for the present moment"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780299354701

0299354709

OCLC:

1518921736