Description
Book SynopsisRejecting the cliché about “weak identity and underdeveloped nationalism,” Bekus argues for the co-existence of two parallel concepts of Belarusianness—the official and the alternative one—which mirrors the current state of the Belarusian people more accurately and allows for a different interpretation of the interconnection between the democratization and nationalization of Belarusian society.
The book describes how the ethno-symbolic nation of the Belarusian nationalists, based on the cultural capital of the Golden Age of the Belarusian past (17th century) competes with the “nation” institutionalized and reified by the numerous civic rituals and social practices under the auspices of the actual Belarusian state.
Comparing the two concepts not only provides understanding of the logic that dominates Belarusian society’s self-description models, but also enables us to evaluate the chances of alternative Belarusianness to win this unequal struggle over identity.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I. Nation in Theory
Chapter 1 Nation-Formation Strategies in Contemporary Nation-Studies
Chapter 2 State and Nation
Chapter 3 Nationalism, Capitalism, Liberalism: The East European Perspective
Chapter 4 Nationalism and Socialism: The Soviet Case
Part II. The Rise and Development of the Belarusian National Idea
Chapter 5 The First Belarusian Nationalist Movement: Between National and Class Interests
Chapter 6 Byelorussian Republic within the Soviet State
Chapter 7 Post-Soviet Conditions for Independence
Part III. Belarusian Post-Communism
Chapter 8 The Election of the First Belarusian President as a Mirror of Belarusian Preferences
Chapter 9 “Labels” of the Belarusian Regime
Chapter 10 “Triple Transformation” and Belarus
Chapter 11 Prerequisites of Democratization and Authoritarianism in Belarus
Part IV. Arguments and Paradoxes of Weak Belarusian Identity
Chapter 12 Belarus as an Example of National and Democratic Failure
Chapter 13 The Russian Factor in Belarusian Self-Perception
Chapter 14 The Paradox of “National Pride”
Chapter 15 Paradoxes of Political and Linguistic Russification
Chapter 16 Lack of Religious Basis for National Unity
Part V. The Struggle over Identity
Chapter 17 Two Ideas of “Belarusianness” in Place of “Sole” National Idea
Chapter 18 Belarusian-Specific Nature of the Public Sphere: Invisible Wall
Chapter 19 Belarusian Tradition: The Alternative and Official Historical Narrations
Chapter 20 Political Discourses of Alternative Belarusianness
Chapter 21 National Ideology of the Belarusian State as a Political Articulation of Official Belarusianness
Part VI. Cultural Manifestation versus Social Reification
Chapter 22 Two Belarusian Approaches to the Politics of Identity
Chapter 23 “The Belarusian Globe”: An Encyclopedia of What Existed before Communism
Chapter 24 Belarusian National Film Misterium Occupation: Distancing Themselves from Soviets and Russians
Chapter 25 Free Theater: Alternative Belarusianness on the Stage
Chapter 26 Independent Rock Music: Critical Reflection and Protest
Chapter 27 Medieval Reenactors: A Manifestation of Belarus’s European History
Chapter 28 The Official Politics of Identity: Social Reification Strategy
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
