On March 13th, University at Albany (SUNY) professor Nadieszda Kizenko presented “The Experience of Confession in Imperial Russia.” This presentation was part of the Russian History Museum’s Second Saturday lecture series.
Using objects from the Russian History Museum’s collection, this talk looked at confession both from the point of view of the imperial institutions that tried to bring Orthodox imperial subjects to confession, and also the individual souls who approached the sacrament and how they experienced it—liturgically, personally, legally, communally, individually, orally, and aurally. This event concluded with a Q&A session between Dr. Nadieszda Kizenko and the audience.
This program is funded in part by a Humanities New York CARES Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act.
About the Speaker
Nadia Kizenko is Professor of Russian History and Director of Religious Studies at the University at Albany (SUNY). She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her PhD from Columbia. Her research has been supported by programs including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the International Research Exchanges Board, the American Councils Research Scholar Program, National Council for Eurasian and East European Research and the Social Science Research Council.
Her first book, A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People, won the Heldt Prize. Her latest book, Good for the Souls: a History of Confession in the Russian Empire, is scheduled to appear with Oxford University Press at the end of April.