Evolution of the image of the Orenburg province in the post-reform period (based on the material from the “Orenburg Diocesan Gazette”)

The article, based on the material from the “Orenburg Diocesan Gazette”, examines the evolution of the image of the Orenburg province in the post-reform period through the lens of the church agenda. It is emphasized that the official part of the periodical constructed the image of the diocese as an orderly hierarchy, where every action, from the ordination of a priest to the construction of a church, was part of a broader program of education and improvement. The multifaceted image of the Orenburg province was also shaped by the unofficial part of the “Orenburg Diocesan Gazette”, which created an image of the region as a space for dialogue, where the civilizing role of Orthodoxy did not negate respect for the traditions of the non-Orthodox believers, but rather sought to integrate them into the broader Russian cultural landscape. The article also focuses on the evolution of the region’s image, from a peripheral territory to a part of the empire. The authors conclude that this evolution reflects the overall logic of imperial policy, which shifted from perceiving the peripheries as “foreign” territories to gradually integrating them into the unified empire.

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