Spiritual and Secular Transculturation in Russian America, 1821-1867

Authors

  • Sean Atkins

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21971/P77P4W

Abstract

The focus of this essay is to reveal the secular and spiritual transculturation that shaped the relationship between the indigenous Aleut and Alutiiq with colonial Russian America from the time of the second charter of the Russian-America Company (RAC) in 1821 until the end of the colony in 1867. This period was marked by a systematic attempt on the part of the Russian imperial elite to codify (and classify) the offspring and cultural identity of mixed Russian-Native parentage (creole). The syncretism of Orthodoxy and indigenous spirituality, however, simultaneously challenged any attempt by the centre to “Russify” or “Christianize” the local inhabitants. The result of this latter era in the history of Russian America was an alternative model for Empire that eschewed the acculturation/assimilation paradigms inherent in Native-Newcomer relations associated with contemporary European settler societies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Sean Atkins

Sean Atkins is a doctoral candidate at the University of Alberta. He is currently researching the interstices of indigenous and settler associative landscapes in the post-treaty Upper North Saskatchewan bioregion. His focus is on indigenous perceptions of environmental change and the cultural construction of boundaries on reserves in west-central Alberta. Mr. Atkins is also interested in the transformation of ideas of identity, place and consumption occurring through the application of technology and ritual to conceptualizing routes framed by mountain valleys, passes, rivers and lakes. A chapter from his Masters thesis on physical disability and identity in the Soviet Union has appeared in an earlier edition of Past Imperfect.

Downloads

Published

2008-03-24

How to Cite

Atkins, S. (2008). Spiritual and Secular Transculturation in Russian America, 1821-1867. Past Imperfect, 13. https://doi.org/10.21971/P77P4W

Issue

Section

Articles