Freedom of Conscience in (Post)Soviet Space: Legacies of Michael Bourdeaux and the Keston Archive

Freedom of Conscience in (Post)Soviet Space, a collection of original essays edited by Julie K. deGraffenried, Michael Long, and Xenia Dennen, is inspired by the work of Michael Bourdeaux, the holdings of the Keston Archive, and continuing questions of freedom of conscience. Ranging from England to Siberia and moving chronologically from 1917 to the twenty-first century, this book reveals the unique organization and methodology behind the Keston’s collection of materials and the ways those in the West thought about religion and communism during the Cold War, including the connection between religious liberty and human rights.

The essays demonstrate the depth and breadth of current research on religion in communist and postcommunist contexts, a much-needed corrective to contemporary political uses of religious freedom. Bourdeaux’s activism and preservation of materials influenced many fields of study, as reflected by contributing authors’ varied disciplines--history, theology, sociology, languages, and literature. A preface by the theologian and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams comments on Michael Bourdeaux’s life and significance.

Julie deGraffenried is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Baylor University and author of Sacrificing Childhood.

Michael Long is Professor of Russian and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Baylor University and author of Making History.

Xenia Dennen helped found the Keston Institute in 1969 and became chairman in 2002. She was founding editor of its journal and edits ＂The Keston Newsletter.＂