Double Faith

Contemporary Russian culture derives its particular magic from its heritage in two belief systems: one polytheistic, the other monotheistic. This so-called double faith usually is examined in a European context, but the phenomenon occurs as well among native peoples of the Lake Baikal region, who practice Buddhism and shamanism (sometimes in combination with Christianity) concurrently. In Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the region surrounding Baikal in eastern Siberia, you will trace the heritage of double faith as it has inspired the creative imaginations of Russia’s artists, from the medieval period through the present, giving rise to a rich tradition of literature and art of the magical and fantastic.

European Traditions

Topics considered in the European segment of your trip include Russian fairy tales, hagiography, an introduction to Orthodox Christian iconography, legends (particularly that of the founding of St. Petersburg as Russia’s city of the Apocalypse), and works by such major writers as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Bulgakov.

Siberian Traditions

In Siberia you will study the wealth of legends and practices that have evolved around Lake Baikal, visit Buddhist monasteries, and—if the gods are with you—attend shamanistic rituals.

Accommodations

You will stay in hotels or bed-and-breakfast inns. Lodging at Lake Baikal is privately owned and features home-cooked meals.

Restrictions

Most activities will not be too strenuous physically, but there will be considerable walking. Also, traveling by air within Russia can be demanding.

Faculty

Russian professor Diane Nemec Ignashev earned a PhD from the University of Chicago and has taught at Carleton since 1981. She has led student trips to Russia since 1988, originally for a consortium of Midwest colleges. In 1989 she created Carleton’s off-campus studies program in Moscow, which has operated in alternate years since that time. Nemec Ignashev specializes in contemporary Russian cultural studies with interests in theater and film.

Anna Dotlibova, a native of Moscow, used her hometown connections to help set up Carleton’s Moscow program and has been its leader several times since. A lecturer in Russian at Carleton since 1990, she teaches a wide range of courses in Russian studies and, outside of the classroom, pursues her hobby of studying Moscow’s history.

Unique Trip

This trip was homegrown by our two faculty leaders and makes use of their many personal connections in Russia. These faculty have planned and organized the whole trip, down to every last detail. You will not find another trip to Russia like this one. Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.