Cultural hybridity in the religious literature of the Tatars of North-Eastern Europe

ENThe religious literature of the Tatars of north-eastern Europe (Belarus, Lithuania and Poland), produced by Muslims of Turkic origin in a Christian-Slav environment, is an intriguing example of cultural hybridity. Despite living far from their original homeland, and with limited contact with the world of Islam, they succeeded in preserving a unique cultural identity for over eight centuries. Some minority communities seek to preserve their heritage by distancing themselves from the ‘main stream’, limiting the degree to which they interact with the dominant culture. The Tatars of north-eastern Europe, however, kept alive their unique identity by a combination of adaptability to the customs and norms of their adopted homeland, while at the same time preserving their own traditions; thus, they embraced change but maintained continuity in their social customs and above all, in their practice of Islam. The religious literature that they created bears witness to this eclectic intermingling of cultural and linguistic influences. In order to set this literature in context, this article starts with a brief historical introduction, looking at such issues as the socio-linguistic diversity of the Tatar settlers; the political upheavals in their new homeland; and the changing religious environment. This is followed by an overview of the genres that characterize the Tatar religious literature. Finally, two ‘exotic’ narratives are examined, one taken from an Arabic source, the other from a Biblical text that reveals Protestant sectarian influence.

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