Paper long abstract:

My research is focusing on 'non-traditional' Christian sects in Azerbaijan, that mostly started to emerge within the last two decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijani government replaced restrictive atheist ideology of the Soviet government with the more moderate local religious policies, that are welcoming the religious pluralism and 'multiculturality' in the country, but at the same time employ the instruments of control and regulations when it comes to the 'non-traditional' sects, or denominations that do not belong to the 'indigenous' religious communities, such as mainstream Islam, Orthodox Christianity or Judaism. Still the number of 'non-traditional' Christian Communities is growing along with their wider recognition and visibility. In my paper I would like to explore the emergence of these new religious groups, such as Protestants, Charismatics, Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists and others, and address the following questions: How these communities are gaining their ground in urban city? How do they negotiate the places of worship and their 'non-traditional' religious identity with the 'host' or mainstream population? How do they define their boundaries and position themselves in relation to the 'traditional groups'? Who are the major followers of these communities and what specifically makes them attracted to these 'non-traditional' communities? How do local authorities regulate emerging religious diversity in Baku?