International Congress of Belarusian Studies

https://palityka.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/litva_kaunas1.jpgDear colleagues,

We are pleased to inform you of the establishment of the International Congress of Belarusian Studies.

The Congress was founded by representatives of Belarusian and Lithuanian civil society as an annual public event aimed both at the intellectual community and at broader public circles in Belarus and other countries: experts, journalists, public figures, students, and others.

The Congress was initiated to integrate researchers and experts in the political, social, and humanitarian fields, and also to promote a deeper understanding of Belarus in academic and public circles in the countries of the region and the world.

The Congress is conceived as a venue for presenting research results as well as the results of the work of scholars and experts over the course of the year.

In addition, the Congress is being created for the discussion of promising research and public projects, the exchange of views and ideas, and the establishment of informal contacts.

The Congress will make it possible to reflect on and systematize the results of the work of researchers and experts, and will also encourage the practice of mutual cooperation and communication.

The disciplinary priorities of the Congress are political science, sociology, history, intellectual history, and the history of ideas.

The work of the Congress will combine traditional meetings of specialists in thematic sections with joint expert panels and discussions on current issues of Belarusian politics, culture, society, and regional and international cooperation.

Preliminary topics for interdisciplinary and public discussions include: regional politics in the region (Central and Eastern Europe) and Belarus’s place within it; the Soviet past in Belarus and the region; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a factor in contemporary politics and culture; and the “Belarusian model of development”: the experience of the period of independence.

It is expected that more than 100 scholars and specialists from Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and other countries will take part in the Congress.

The Congress is planned as a three-day event and is to be held on 23–25 September 2011.

A number of additional cultural and public events (concerts, exhibitions, public discussions, presentations) are planned within the framework of the Congress, which will help expand media attention and increase its potential audience.

The main working languages of the Congress are Belarusian, English, and Lithuanian (simultaneous interpretation will be provided into these languages at plenary and joint sessions).

Russian and Polish will serve as additional languages of communication.

Speakers may submit abstracts and give presentations in Belarusian, English, Lithuanian, Polish, and Russian.

Congress speakers will have the opportunity to publish their materials in the form of abstracts, reports, or separate articles.

All information about the Congress is available on the official website of the event: icbs.lt (http://icbs.lt).