New Books Network Kristina Jonutytė, "Between the Buddha and the New Tsar: Urban Religion and Minority Politics at the Asian Borderlands of Russia" (Cornell UP, 2026)
Apr 1, 2026
Kristina Jonutytė, social anthropologist and author of Between the Buddha and the New Tsar, studies urban Buddhism and minority politics in Buryatia. She explores temple economies, how city life reshapes Buddhist practice, and the effects of war and conscription on Buryat identity. The conversation highlights russification, transnational ties, infrapolitical rituals, and migration reshaping belonging.
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Urbanization Remade Buryat Buddhism
- Urbanization transformed Buryat Buddhism from a rural, temple-centered practice into a city-centered, diverse religious field.
- Post-Soviet migration left many Buryats in cities, creating lay-led practices, new temples, and creative adaptations of rituals and authority.
War Amplified State Pressure In Buryatia
- The 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine intensified state presence, conscription fears, and precarity in Buryatia despite geographic distance.
- Buryats face disproportionate conscription, demographic impact, and reduced cultural freedom under an increasingly repressive regime.
Buryat Identity Exists On A Political Spectrum
- Buryat identity spans a spectrum from assimilation into Russian identity to alignment with Mongolian heritage, shaped by history and recent politics.
- Soviet-era language standardization and modern emigration influence whether individuals identify as Buryat, Buryat Mongol, or Mongolian.
