Interfaith relations in Kazan

Interfaith relations in Kazan describe the status of the two major religious groups that inhabit the capital city of

Kazan is located at the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. The region of Tatarstan became Islamic in the year 922, and thus its Islamic history stretches back further historically than its Orthodox presence which was at one time viewed as the religious influence of conquerors.^[2]

The region developed with relative prosperity at the time of the takeover of the

In the early 1900s, approximately 200,000 people lived in Kazan and only around 30,000 of that population was Tatar.[5] A hundred years later, Kazan's population is over 1 million with an equal ethnic split, following the common pattern of Soviet demographic shift and rapid urbanization.^[5]

Political institutions

Kazan is the capital of the

One of the political institutions in Kazan are the discursive definitions of “in–out” groups that determine the social construction of identity. The sociopolitical boundaries enacted into the political narrative of the territory of Kazan helped ascertain its autonomy and identity as 'historically wronged'—yet deeply similar in proximity both physically and psychologically to Russia.^[4] This both stabilizes the political strength of Tatars within Tatarstan while aligning ethnic Russians more closely to Tatars than to Volga Russians who are their ethnic counterparts.

Tatarstan's government publications aim to stress the common territory and culture of those who have formed the 'native land' and have lived a specific lifestyle.

The multi-ethnic nature of modern Russia has been characterized by growth of nationalism and migration from neighboring areas.^[7] The system of federalism marks the ways in which Tatarstan interacts with the federal government while maintaining the ability to manage many internal affairs as 'Tatar'. The 1991 negotiation between Moscow and Kazan resulted in the Treaty on Delimiting the Jurisdictions and Mutual Transmissions of Authorities Between the Organs of State Power of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan. These agreements involved several regulatory relations regarding trade, finance, and defense.^[2]

Known as the 'Tatarstan model', this experience of positive negotiations between a central government and a subnational region are regarded as a basis for the strength of interfaith and interethnic relations in the modern context and a rarity particularly among post-Soviet states.^[2] Kazan's success can be attributed to the political stability, multi-leveled nature of treaties, and pressures of Tatar citizens to develop a working cooperative framework within the Russian Federation indicated movement towards independent but integrated political institutions in the region.

As in its establishment of internal affairs regarding Muslim and Christian freedom to worship, politically, this Tatarstan-Russian Treaty settled roots of conflict with Moscow and developed on the paradox of both decentralized power and the strive towards respecting the heritage of the former-Soviet central government.^[2]

Language use

Tatarstan is a dual-language environment that expresses both Tatar and Russian identity through the political institutions of official language policy. Street signs are one important marker of this in Kazan. In the 1990s, legislation passed ensuring the official status of both Russian and Tatar which led to the creation of bilingual street signs.^[4]

The

An 84% majority of youth in Tatarstan indicated in a 2016 study that nationality was not a determining factor in communicating with other people and that the government has a crucial role in maintaining peaceful relations both internationally and within Tatarstan. Over 50% of the respondents feel the proximity of different nationalities is a benefit and would like to learn more about the customs of other groups.[7]

These results from a student population at Kazan Federal University sample the attitudes that are held at the level of the education system and at a household-level in terms of respect for difference in an ethnoreligious sense. While the younger population does show elements of slippage towards ethnic nationalism for example in social media circles, generally it is found that this population—which is engaged in building the current intellectual discourse around the city—hold a positive or ambivalent view of interethnic relations.^[7]

Conflict avoidance mechanisms

Interfaith relations in Kazan operate under several key conflict-avoidance mechanisms. Socio-spatial borders are constructed in Tatarstan through the use of

The notion that religious narratives and symbols are not immutable—that is, they are able to evolve and change within new political realities—helps account for the relative non-divisiveness of the religious worlds of Kazan.[4] The reinterpretation of these symbols, such as in architecture, language, and family life, has happened as Kazan political leaders initiated bridging efforts between Muslim Tatars and Christian Russians which prevented any bases of resentments from manifesting into larger-scale conflict.

Tatars have used

In addition, architecture serves as a cohesive ground for integrating Kazan not only in distinct coexisting places but within one site. The Temple of All Religions is a religious complex in the Staroye Arakchino Microdistrict of Kazan which is notable in its cohesion of several types of religious architectural elements which include an Orthodox church, a mosque, a synagogue, and others. Construction began in 1992 by Kazan artist Ildar Khanov and it serves as a cultural hub and residence for Khanov.

The Temple's mission is to depart from the traditional paradigm of housing only one religion and instead provide a 'temple of culture and truth' which peacefully combines the different cultural influences found in Kazan. The structure also serves as a center for the treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction, and other conditions and is attended by visitors both for these services and for experiencing its unique combination of religious symbols.

Global perspective

Kazan's interfaith relations have attracted considerable attention given current global breakdowns towards interethnic and political strife.

Bearing in mind many of its geographic and historical factors, dominant social science theory might anticipate greater levels of conflict. Examples of cities in a similar geographic and historic position often exhibit characteristics traditionally associated with division.^{[citation needed]} Among these characteristics are disputes over sovereignty, the issue of political legitimacy, and active unrest and conflict in the public space.

Kazan has been identified as a frontier city in terms of its religious demographic composition. Frontier cities exist along the 'fault lines' of ethnic and religious division and are often the place of dispute because they represent the ideal zone of power afforded to discrete territories of one group over another.^[4]

For frontier cities, issues of cultural and religious identity by claiming specific lands often trump a more generalized focus on the acquisition of new resources and sovereignty. In other words, the meaning placed on the 'indivisible good' of a specific city may instigate opposing groups' collective action against any perceived incursion on that space. These discourses are largely absent in modern-day Kazan where the urban space is interpreted in a more spatially integrated system.

Kazan's trajectory is often contrasted with histories of cities of major religious contact which can also be identified specifically as 'religious frontier cities'. Major among these are