On 30 May, the 3rd Minsk Conference of the Political Sphere Institute will host a public discussion: The Battle of Orsha 500 Years Later: Specific Features of National Interpretations

PUBLIC DISCUSSION

THE BATTLE OF ORSHA 500 YEARS LATER:

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF NATIONAL INTERPRETATIONS

30 May, CECH creative space (58 Nezavisimosti Ave., room 6), 19:00

On 30 May 2014, within the framework of the Third International Conference of the Political Sphere Institute, “Wars in the Political and Cultural Tradition of Belarus and the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe”, a public discussion will be held on the topic: “The Battle of Orsha 500 Years Later: Specific Features of National Interpretations”.

In 2014, Belarus marks the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Orsha. Almost immediately, this battle became a symbol of the military skill of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; it was described in chronicles and celebrated in songs.

In the early 1990s, during the wave of national revival, the tradition of commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Orsha as the Day of Belarusian Military Glory also spread. This not only linked the Belarusian national idea with the heritage of the Grand Duchy, but also made it possible to build pride and self-awareness in opposition to the defeated. The commemoration of the Battle of Orsha was inevitably politicised, and for a long time it was silenced in official discourse.

At the same time, historiographical questions remain: what exactly do we know about this battle? Historians from different countries continue to discuss the course and scale of the battle. These debates often become connected again with the national and political context, while views and explanations are shaped by the ideological positions of the authors.

This discussion will return to the original source of these disputes: the Battle of Orsha itself. Specialist historians will discuss the current state of research on this event, the main points of conflict, and approaches to interpreting this victory. It will also be impossible to avoid the question of how this battle is remembered today in different countries connected with it: Belarus, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine.

These issues will be discussed during the public discussion “The Battle of Orsha 500 Years Later: Specific Features of National Interpretations”, which will take place on 30 May 2014 in Minsk at the CECH creative space (58 Nezavisimosti Ave., room 6). The event starts at 19:00. Admission is free!

The discussion is organised by the Political Sphere Institute and the Flying University.

The invited discussants are: Candidate of Historical Sciences Aleh Dziarnovich (Institute of History, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus), Candidate of Historical Sciences Aliaksandr Kazakou (BSU), Candidate of Historical Sciences Aleksei Lobin (Congress Palace, St Petersburg, Russia), and Candidate of Historical Sciences Alena Rusina (Institute of History of Ukraine, Ukraine).

Directions: