Molokan and Kryashen Identities in the Mid-19th — Early 20th Century (Based on Personal Memoirs)

The article draws a comparison of social identities of the two religious groups, the Molokan and Kryashen, by using the sources from the mid-nineteenth — early twentieth century. The sources include memoirs by the Molokan Nil Petrovich Dimryukov and the Kryashen Vasilii Timofeevich Timofeev. The article is based upon three theoretical concepts — “identity” by E. Erikson, “group formation” by R. Jenkins and “textual communities” by B. Stock. The author concludes that the tendency to construct communal life around authoritative religious texts among Molokans and Kryashens of the said time period had specific features: the tradition of textuality among Molokans faced challenges both from outside and inside the community, but also had its supporters; while the tradition of textuality among Kryashens was only gaining its special form. The author also notes the prospects of comparing the identity of both groups in the past with their present-day forms basing on his field research in Moscow and Kazan.