'As 500 years ago, Truth and Justice Stand with Us': Belarusian Dissent Between Memory and Mobilization

• In Event: Legacies of Resistance: Memory and Dissent from the Soviet Era to Today

Abstract

The history of Soviet Belarusian dissent has received relatively little scholarly attention, both domestically and internationally. When discussed, this history has often been framed through Cold War-era knowledge regimes that emphasize heroic resistance to the Soviet state, and privileging political opposition over the diverse forms of cultural dissent. This framework often overlooked local specificities and alternative modes of resistance. This paper explores how this knowledge framework has shaped both the popular and scientific perception of contemporary dissent in Belarus. I am interested in how historical and ongoing (post-2020) practices of cultural resistance to authoritarianism intersect. Does contemporary dissent draw on historical precedents, if so, which events and figures are regarded as the most relevant? Conversely, how do present-day events reshape our understanding of the history of dissent in Belarus?

Author

• Tatsiana Astrouskaya, Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe (Germany)