Belarus I: Civil Resistance in Contemporary Belarus

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable brings together scholars from political science, comparative literature, theater studies, and anthropology to discuss the civil resistance that erupted in the aftermath of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. What factors can explain the unprecedented mobilization of tens of thousands of protestors from all segments of Belarusian society? How have the repercussions of this “failed revolution” played out in the intervening four years? Olena Nikolayenko examines diverse methods of resistance that industrial workers employed to signal their disapproval of the brutal regime. Emily Curtin discusses how new ideas about health, bodies, and self-improvement ushered in by the mid-2010s consumer culture boom helped to galvanize mass resistance against the state. Alesia Rudnik elucidates how social media and digital platforms interact with protesters and organizers of the protests in contemporary Belarus. Andrei Kureichik traces the far-reaching consequences of the choices made by several Belarusian theater workers. Finally, Alexei Lalo compares and contrasts patterns of mass mobilization in Ukraine (2013-2014) and Belarus (2020). The roundtable’s focus on civil resistance aligns well with the convention’s focus on different practices of liberation in Eastern Europe.

Sub Unit

• Politics/Law

Chair

• Anna Rakityanskaya, Harvard U

Roundtable Members

• Emily Curtin, UNC at Chapel Hill

• Andrei Kureichyk, U of Chicago

• Alexei Lalo, North Carolina State U

• Olena Nikolayenko, Fordham U