Struggle over Identity
The Official and the Alternative "Belarusianness"
Nelly Bekus
is a Belarusian social scientist and publicist, and
a member of the European Cultural Parliament. She holds
a Ph.D. in Sociology and is Assistant Professor at the
East Slavonic European Studies Department, University
of Warsaw.
Rejecting 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.
Contents
Introduction Part I. Nation
in Theory 1. Nation-Formation Strategies in
Contemporary Nation-Studies 2. State and Nation 3. Nationalism,
Capitalism, Liberalism: The East European Perspective
4. Nationalism and Socialism: The Soviet Case Part
II. The Rise and Development of the Belarusian National
Idea 5. The First Belarusian Nationalist Movement:
Between National and Class Interests 6. Byelorussian
Republic within the Soviet State 7.Post-Soviet
Conditions for Independence Part III. Belarusian
Post-Communism 8 The Election of the First
Belarusian President as a Mirror of Belarusian Preferences
9. “Labels” of the Belarusian Regime 10.
“Triple Transformation” and Belarus 11.
Prerequisites of Democratization and Authoritarianism
in Belarus Part IV. Arguments and Paradoxes
of Weak Belarusian Identity 12. Belarus as
an Example of National and Democratic Failure 13. The
Russian Factor in Belarusian Self-Perception 14. The
Paradox of “National Pride” 15. Paradoxes
of Political and Linguistic Russification 16. Lack of
Religious Basis for National Unity Part V.
The Struggle over Identity 17. Two Ideas of
“Belarusianness” in Place of “Sole”
National Idea 18. Belarusian-Specific Nature of the
Public Sphere: Invisible Wall 19. Belarusian Tradition:
The Alternative and Official Historical Narrations 20.
Political Discourses of Alternative Belarusianness 21.
National Ideology of the Belarusian State as a Political
Articulation of Official Belarusianness Part
VI. Cultural Manifestation
versus Social Reification
22. Two Belarusian Approaches to the Politics of Identity
23. “The Belarusian Globe”: An Encyclopedia
of What Existed before Communism 24. Belarusian National
Movie Misterium Occupation: Distancing Themselves
from Soviets and Russians 25. Free Theater: Alternative
Belarusianness on the Stage 26. Independent Rock Music:
Critical Reflection and Protest 27. Medieval Reenactors:
A Manifestation of Belarus’s European History
28. The Official Politics of Identity: Social Reification
Strategy Conclusion Bibliography
2010
312 pages
978-963-9776-68-5 cloth $45.00 / €33.00 / £30.00
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