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Vol. 78 No. 2 (2025): Unfinished Transformations: Politics, Economy, and Societies of Post-Socialist Countries

Temat numeru

The Phenomenon of Nationalism and Political Elites in Belarus after 1991

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35757/sm.2025.78.2.07
Submitted: July 14, 2025
Published: December 23, 2025

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between the phenomenon of nationalism and the postcolonial condition of the Belarusian elite. It examines various forms of consolidation strategies employed by different political elites in their efforts to construct their version of the sacred and to articulate a postcolonial conception of the nation. This condition is further shaped by the authoritarian character of the state and the instrumental use of identity politics by the Lukashenka regime on the one hand, and by competing political forces that promote alternative visions of national existence on the other. The analysis covers the entire period of Belarusian independence since 1991. In addition, the article systematises the understanding of the distinctiveness and diversity of the Belarusian national project within the regional context, particularly in relation to the former metropolis. In doing so, it contributes to broader debates on the challenges to conventional interpretations of nationalism in the Belarusian case.

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