Discussion: Historians and Historical Scholarship amid the Political Crisis in Belarus and the War in Ukraine

Update 17.05.2022: Deutsche Welle has published a summary of the discussion on the state of historical scholarship in Belarus; we invite you to read it! (https://www.dw.com/ru/repressii-vojna-izoljacija-chto-ugrozhaet-belorusskim-istorikam/a-61777793)
May 10, 2022, 16:00, ZOOM.

Moderators: Aliaksei Lastouski, Andrei Kazakevich.

Participants: Aleh Dziarnovich, Ales Krautsevich, Iryna Ramanava.

The discussion is being held as part of preparations for the jubilee 10th International Congress of Belarusian Studies and will be the first in a series of discussions on the state of the social sciences and humanities amid the political crisis in Belarus and the war in Ukraine.

Historians and historical scholarship do not exist in a political vacuum; their development and creative work are shaped by current social events.

In recent years, Belarus and Central and Eastern Europe have experienced revolutionary changes that have significantly increased interest in Belarusian studies and, at the same time, created new challenges.

Political repression against scholars, new international opportunities, sanctions against Belarus, Russia’s war in Ukraine: the pace of socio-political change is astonishing and requires reflection, and also a new degree of responsibility for historians as scholars, intellectuals, and citizens.

The discussion will address the following issues:
– What has happened to Belarusian historians and historical scholarship amid the political crisis and the war in Ukraine?
– How destructive were the state’s actions toward scholars amid the political crisis, and how has this affected the work of the historical community in state and non-state institutions?
– How do changes in historical policy and the strengthening of Russian influence on state ideology affect Belarusian historical scholarship?
– Can scholarship in exile be effective?

How effective are assistance programs, and how effective are alternative institutions?
– What should be the response of Belarusian historical scholarship to the war in Ukraine?

How can Belarusian-Ukrainian mutual understanding among historians be preserved?