Paper long abstract:

Founded in 2016, the Bolgar Islamic Academy (the Academy) is aimed to consolidate the efforts of the official Islamic clergy in Russia in forming a "deeper and more conscious understanding of Russia's national interests among its Muslim population" and to contribute to the development of the higher religious education in the country. Reportedly, the Academy seeks to become the center of Islamic education in Russia. How and why did the idea about the need for such institution come about? What does it tell about intrafaith and state-Islam relations in contemporary Russia? This study aims to examine the founding principles of the Academy and shed light on the role it plays in spiritual growth in the region as well as the regulation of religious affairs in the country. I will rely on the analysis of the founding charter, mission statement, and ethnographic data collected from fieldwork in Bolgar and Kazan between 2017 and 2019 to assess the emergence of the Academy and its development within the fast-changing political, social, and economic context in the country. Religious education remains a site of contest and, as this study illustrates, the historical legacy continues to shape contemporary educational and knowledge discourses in Russia.