Buddhism in the context of desecularization of public consciousness (on the materials of modern Buryatia)

The paper deals with the processes of desecularization of public consciousness in modern Buryatia in the context of a religious revival in Russia. Basing on the functional approach the author reveals the most important characteristics of religiosity among Buryats that include the ethnocultural identity dimensions. The emphasis is also made on the correlation between the revival of vital foundations of religion and the spread of banal religiosity used as a means of ethnic differentiation.