Dr. Mariya Lesiv is an Assistant Professor of Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Her research interests include diaspora studies, folklore and national/ethnic identity building, material culture, belief, religious folk life, and new religious movements. Mariya's first book, “The Return of Ancestral Gods: Modern Ukrainian Paganism as an Alternative Vision for a Nation,” is devoted to a new religious and political movement that strives to revive old rural folklore while creating an alternative vision for a present-day Ukrainian nation in both Ukraine and the diaspora.
Mariya speaks about her experiences in Kiev in 2006 during a celebration marking Ukraine’s then 15-year independence from the Soviet Union, which inspired her to write “The Return of Ancestral Gods.” She describes the three dominant pagan groups featured in the book: RunVira, Ancestral Fire, and Native Faith. We discuss the political unrest that existed in Ukraine post-WWII, when many Ukrainians fled due to the fear of having their culture in the hands of Nazis and Soviets. We look at the subsequent crash of the Soviet Union that instigated a religious revival and a rise in Ukrainian paganism with a desire to connect to an alternative sense of self-identity. Mariya explains the differences of the three major pagan factions, which can be characterized by a focus on colonial politics and historical events vs. the revival of folklore and practicing aesthetics and the beauty of rituals. Further, we consider why younger pagans who identify as ethno-nationalists, separate from globalism, are more attracted to the non-political Ancestral Fire and National Faith. Mariya talks about the promotion of pan-Slavic brotherhood within the movement, along with the typical problems that modern pagans across the world have with Christianity and the spread of Western hegemony. We touch on the important pagan aspect of ethnic belongingness that goes against the American ideals of equality, tolerance and inclusiveness. Mariya concludes with some examples of how pagans are building a more powerful culture and identity through creating unique folk art and practicing sacred folk traditions.
Guest website: http://www.amazon.com/The-Return-Ancestral-Gods-Mcgill-Queens/dp/0773542620
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