While scholars have studied the pastoral work of the Orthodox Church (Freeze, 2014; Hedda, 2008; Scarborough, 2022), this paper advances a new approach to the study of Orthodoxy and civil society in the late Romanov Empire by integrating methodological approaches from conceptual and lived history. It examines how Orthodox ideas of solidarity developed self-reflexively through their interaction with Western thought, particularly German idealism and romanticism, and in tension with colonial reform movements, such as Jadidism. It traces their articulation and enactment by institutions from theological academies to missionary committees. Despite several studies considering Orthodoxy’s interactions with other faiths in the Empire (Kolosova, 2021; Werth, 2002), scant attention has been paid to the interaction between imperial peripheries and the role of their educational and religious institutions in shaping Orthodox ideas of solidarity.   

Combining conceptual and lived history, this paper decentres political and intellectual debates in the Romanov Empire, demonstrating how identities were shaped through interactions at and between peripheries. Analysing concepts, such as Sobornost’ and conciliarity, this paper asserts that they were not limited to intellectual circles but were institutionalised and lived throughout the Empire. This was especially the case in the imperial peripheries, where Orthodoxy interacted with other confessions. Thus, this paper proposes a new approach to analysing the ideational exchanges between imperial peripheries, and their interactions with the metropole. It aims to nuance discussions of civil society in the Romanov Empire, underlining the Orthodox Church’s role in encouraging and suppressing political action. 

Therefore, this paper will consider the Kazan Theological Academy and Orthodox missionary activities in the Volga region. The Kazan Academy frequently explored missionary activities in the region, and provides an opportunity to investigate the ideational dimension of those interactions. Analysing the academy’s student publication, the Orthodox Interlocutor, will demonstrate the connection between discussions at Orthodox educational institutions and the activities of missionary groups. Ultimately, by locating Orthodox ideational and institutional innovation in the imperial peripheries, this paper reorientates our understanding of civil society in the late Romanov Empire, nuancing narratives of centre-periphery relations and the role of religion.