"God doesn't know about Nationalities" : Questioning Religion and Nationalism in Evangelical Communities in Romania

A strong link between religion and national identity has been particularly important in the study of Eastern and Southeastern Europe during the 20th century. The study of religion and its changes came into the focus of anthropological and sociological research especially after the communist period. One of the most important aspects of change was “religious revival” which also included conversion to new forms of religiosity such as the Evangelical communities, the Nazarenes, Baptists, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and Pentecostals. The majority of Serbs living in Romania belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church, but during the last decades a number of Evangelicals appeared among the Serbian minority. This paper is based on the results of qualitative ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2010 among the Serbian Evangelical communities in Romania. The research focuses on the influence of conversion from Christian Orthodoxy to Evangelicalism among Serbs, focusing on the Evangelical response to religion and nationalism discourses, changes in collective and personal identity of newly converted believers, and perception of converted co-ethnics by the non-Evangelical community. In addressing these issues, this article explores the role of religious traditions which do not overlap with any particular national/ethnic group, the relationship between religion and nationalism, and the presence of supra-national narrative emphasized in Evangelical communities

"How Long Have you Been in the Truth" : Expressing New Forms of Religiosity: Romanian neo-Protestants in Serbia

According to many anthropologists and sociologists, the collapse of communism and the emergence of a new nationalism in a number of post-communist countries resulted in a religious revival. In 1989/90 in Romania and Serbia, the number of those declaring themselves to be “believers” increased considerably. This religious growth also meant moving away from traditional religious forms to new ones. Focussing on conversion to neo-Protestantism in the post-communist era up to the present day, this article presents the results of ethnographic fieldwork conducted since 2008 in various Romanian villages in Vojvodina Province, Serbia. The article explores how different religious groups – such as Nazarenes, Seventh-day Adventists, Pentecostals and Baptists often stigmatized in public discourse – influenced religious change in the last decade. Even though these religious communities were already established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they are often perceived as new forms of religiosity in the area, becoming more visible and numerous in the post-communist period, especially among ethnic minorities. In addressing these issues, this article explores the role of new religious identities that have emerged in the region, the historical continuity of neo-Protestant communities and the question of conversion to neo-Protestantism

Guest Editorial: Interreligious Encounter and Religious Change in former Yugoslavia

In this issue of OPREE, three case studies by Gašper Mithans, Evelyn Reuter, and Aleksandra Djurić-Milovanović explore interreligious encounters in Yugoslavia and religious transformations that brought new dynamics in interreligious relations between majority and minority religions