Orthodox Christianity and the COVID-19 Pandemic

This book explores the dynamics between Orthodox Christianity and the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing a profound transformation at institutional and grassroots levels. It employs a multidisciplinary approach and diverse data sources to analyze church-state relations, religious practices, and theological traditions. Chapters highlight divergent responses across countries, expose religious-political interplay, and examine tensions between formal and informal power networks. Case studies showcase innovative adaptability and the active role of local priests in responding to the pandemic. The book critically examines the impact of religious and political figures on public health outcomes and suggests that the pandemic may have permanently influenced the relationship between Orthodox Christianity, public health, and society.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book probes into the dynamics between Orthodox Christianity and the COVID-19 pandemic, unraveling a profound transformation at institutional and grassroots levels. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, and drawing upon varied data sources, including surveys, digital ethnography, and process tracing, it presents unprecedented insights into church-state relations, religious practices, and theological traditions during this crisis. Chapters analyze divergent responses across countries, underscore religious-political interplay, and expose tensions between formal and informal power networks. Through case studies, the book highlights the innovative adaptability within the faith, demonstrated by new religious practices and the active role of local priests in responding to the pandemic. It critically examines how the actions of religious and political figures influenced public health outcomes. Offering a fresh perspective, the book suggests that the pandemic may have permanently influenced the relationship between Orthodox Christianity, public health, and society.

The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. Funded by Lund University.

Weight: 580g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032445595