Hasidic Pilgrimage As a Cultural Performance: Challenges and Opportunities

This presentation deals with the research of Hasidic pilgrimage in nowadays Ukraine on the examples of two settlements, Uman and Medzhybizh. The research is aimed to shed light upon the Hasidic pilgrimage through the lens of cultural sociology and the theory of "cultural performance" elaborated by Jeffrey Alexander as the most suitable theoretical and methodological tools in the analysis of this issue. Despite long standing historical prerequisites, Hasidic pilgrimage is still a new issue in Post-Soviet Ukraine which has become a special "core" in the world context. The understanding of performativity in the issue helps unveil its stable and emerging elements, as well as show the most problematic areas and possible consequences. It is shown that the Hasidic pilgrimage in Ukraine does possess all characteristic features of different elements of a successful cultural performance: collective representations (as well as background symbols and scripts), actors, means of symbolic production, mise-en-scene, power and audiences. Research methods (which included visual observation, media documents analysis and interviewing) help outline and analyze typical resources, lines of communication and possible conflict areas both in time (2009-2012) and space (two mentioned settlements) perspectives. The author pays attention that the Hasidic pilgrimage is far from becoming an established phenomenon with defined areas of sacred and profane in the contemporary Ukrainian society, though it is constantly bringing new challenges and opportunities.