Daniel Cardoza, Brigham Young University
Social and Behavioral Sciences
This paper aims to offer an introductory platform to the correlation between Russian fatalistic tendencies and conversion to Protestantism. It argues that fatalism is a central aspect of the Russian collective conscious, something that is fundamentally at odds with the Protestant temperament as outlined by Max Weber in his book, The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism. What happens when a Russian converts to a Protestant religion? This paper specifically focuses on conversion to one religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Analysis of data gathered through ethnographic interviewing and participant observation shows that a correlation might exist between belief in LDS doctrines and a reduction of fatalistic tendencies. This paper serves an introductory basis for future research on this topic. As such, the paper also presents recommendations for further research.
In addition to the findings—and perhaps more important than the findings—this paper addresses ways in which an undergraduate student should approach their first anthropological research project, specifically regarding ethnographic interviewing in a foreign language. Moreover, it includes recommendations on methodology design, execution of fieldwork, and qualitative data analysis. This paper lends a unique undergraduate perspective on the undergraduate execution of foreign ethnographic research.