The first volume to explore various facets of contemporary change in consecrated religious life in selected Central and Eastern European countries, this book presents a series of studies of Catholic and Orthodox monasticism. With attention to changes in the economy, everyday life, organisation and social presence of monastic orders, contributors shed light on the impact of 20th and 21st century social and cultural processes – such as communism and its collapse or the growth of new communication technologies – on life in the cloister. Bringing together research from various locations in Central and Eastern Europe, it will appeal to scholars and students of sociology, religious studies and theology, with interests in religious orders and transformations of religious life from a social perspective.

The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity is an authoritative reference guide that enables students, their teachers, Christian clergy, and general readers alike to reflect critically upon all aspects of Christianity from its origins to the present day. Written by a team of 828 scholars and practitioners from around the world, the volume reflects the plurality of Christianity throughout its history. Key features of The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity: •Provides a survey of the history of Christianity in the world, on each continent, and in each nation •Offers a presentation of the Christian beliefs and practices of all major Christian traditions •Highlights the different understandings of Christian beliefs and practices in different historical, cultural, religious, denominational, and secular contexts •Includes entries on methodology and the plurality of approaches that are used in the study of Christianity •Respects each Christian tradition by providing self-presentations of Christianity in each country or Christian tradition •Includes clusters of entries on beliefs and practices, each examining the understanding of a given Christian belief or practice in different historical and contemporary contexts •Presents the relationship and interaction of Christianity with other religious traditions in the world •Provides, on a Web site (http://hdl.handle.net/1803/3906), a full bibliography covering all topics discussed in the signed articles of this volume