Civilia 2015, 6(1):30-78 | DOI: 10.5507/civ.2015.003

Sovietness in the Belarusian Identity Matrix

Liudmila Volakhava

Institut politologických studií, Fakulta sociálních věd Univerzity Karlovy v Praze, U Kříže 8, 158 00 Praha 5 - Jinonice

The article focuses on the Belarusian pre-Soviet collective consciousness providing a closer look at the Sovietization overall dynamics and final outcome, i.e. its identitarian output. The analysis will thus not limit itself to an overview of the (Belarusian) Soviet consciousness' core signifiers, its largely discussed inner dualism as the key factor of its decay, but will also track its socio-political and cultural ramifications during perestroika. Given collective memory's relative autonomy, the highly ideologized Soviet framework persists in the former homo sovieticus' identity code, albeit in a latent form. This especially holds true in Belarus where nation-building was determined by a variety of specific conditions. After the launch of perestroika, the BSSR, unlike most of the Soviet republics, remained highly resistant to change. For the majority of ordinary Belarusians, the overall potential of the Soviet system, was not fully exhausted, which inevitably imperiled the democratic transition of the early 1990s and impeded the expansion of ethno-cultural nationalism. Elucidating Sovietness' unique anatomy and its consolidation in the Belarusian context will thus contribute to an adequate interpretation of the post-Soviet nation formation.

Keywords: Sovietness, Soviet identity, Belarus, nation-building, collective consciousness

Grants and funding:

Tento článek vznikl v rámci projektu Specifického vysokoškolského výzkumu Institutu politologických studií Fakulty sociálních věd UK č. 263 507/2011 Současné formy vládnutí: národní, lokální a mezinárodní úroveň.

Published: June 15, 2015  Show citation