№11/2008 Articles published in Journal of “Political Sphere” in 2004–2008 Abstracts of the articles written for the Journal. Translations are not included Political Sphere.
Political science of political science. # 3, 2004 Sociology and political studies. A talk to Yauheni Babosau (Eugene Babosov), a philosopher and sociologist, p. 5-9 (in Russian) An interview with a well-known Belarusian sociologist, philosopher and science administrator Yauheni Babosau. The interview focuses on specific features, problems and horizons of social science in Belarus. Social science (political studies) development conditions and tendencies have been put a special emphasis on.
These have included a work layout with a theoretical material, workforce capacity, personnel policy, prospects and premises to shape a professional association. The interview also touches upon the problems of the method, researchers’ removal and involvement in political processes.
Key words: Political sciences in Belarus, sociology, political studies, political research Nina Antanovich (Nina Antonovich). Political science in Belarus: the problems of formation and development, p. 10-22 (in Russian) The article focuses on the milestones of Belarusian political science from the beginning of the 1990s to 2004. Special attention is paid to general terms of political science progress, its institutialization, formation of a professional association, educational system. The issues of centers for political analysis, applied and strategic research are given a separate description. The author analyzes the specific features in distribution of theoretical schemes, methodological approaches and topical and conventional research issues among Belarusian political scientists. She also examines the evolution of a political text and gives a survey of main publications in the field of political science from the beginning of 1990s.
Key words: political sciences, political science in Belarus, history of political science, political studies 132 №11/2008 by issue Natalia Vasilevich. Genesis of Belarusian political science, p. 23-30 (in Belarusian) The article, which is a summary of speculations of a regular seminar “Political knowledge” , touches upon the genesis of Belarusian political science and its formation beginning from 1991. The author’s attention is focused on the examination of disparities and oppositions of Western political science and Soviet scientific communism, on the analysis of the impact of scientific communism on contemporary Belarusian political science. With the issues of structural and academic context of Belarusian political science the author finalizes the article.
Key words: Political science, political knowledge, scientific communism, academic science, Andrei Kazakevich. The state of research in Belarus as a probable political study. A discussion within the frames of the seminar “Contemporary Belarusian thought”, p. 47-53 (in Belarusian) The materials for the talk and the discussion are about the specific features of political knowledge creation and consumption. The problems of political knowledge levels and the significance of political studies in this process are the issues to be discussed. The author speculates over the question: to what degree does the possibility of carrying out research as a practice to create new knowledge depend on the available infrastructure, demand and culture of consumption? He gives a short description of the state of political studies in Belarus, asking a question whether there is an opportunity to study the contemporary politics in Belarusian intellectual and political conditions and if so in what way it can be done.
Key words: Political sciences in Belarus, sociology, political studies, the methods, political knowledge Transitology: project and discipline. A talk to Vladimir Gelman, a Russian political scientist, 54-56 (in Belarusian) The interview with Vladimir Gelman, a well-known Russian researcher. The talk is about the problem of political “transition” as well as transitology as school.
The interviewer gives the dynamics of popularity of “transition paradigm”, its assumption and academic basis. The reasons for popularity and “fashions” for such studies in the 1990s and gradual decline in a later period are examined separately.
The researcher puts a question about the available potential of “transition” for adequate analysis of politics in Eastern European region.
Key words: Transition, transitology, political studies, methods, history of political science 133 №11/2008 Articles published in Journal of “Political Sphere” in 2004–2008 Juri Chavusau. Freedom of methodology-methodology of freedom, p. 78-90 (in Belarusian) The author analyzes the methodological approaches used by an American nongovernment organization the Freedom House in the process of making a popular rating “Freedom in the World”. Under this approach the methodological basis is the theories of democratic transition. And in the process of rating the expert estimations are combined with several quantitative indices. The main vectors of criticism of this methodology as well as the factors which stipulate the rating popularity have been shown.
Key words: Political science, methodology, monitoring, thought factory Pavel Usau (Pavel Usov). Public opinion and power: mechanisms and ways of interaction, p. 91-96 (in Russian) In a political system public opinion performs several functions. Particularly, it effects the stability of a political system and the decisions made by governments.
Public opinion efficiency is characterized by the degree of its influence on making essential political decisions. For public opinion to function smoothly meeting some requirements are needed: the availability of democratic elections, freedom of expression, critical role of minorities. The author analyzes the ways and mechanisms of public opinion functioning, studies the models of its interaction with political power Key words: Public opinion, political power, public opinion functions, public opinion functioning models, political decision making Tatsiana Chulitskaya (Tatiana Chulitskaya). An alternative approach to understanding of nationalism (on the example of works by I. Wallerstein), p.
97-101 (in Russian) The present article is an attempt to examine an alternative approach to understanding of nationalism. The author aims at detecting the basic characteristics of nationalism in Wallerstein’s theory. The article focuses on the Wallerstein’s ways of social space structuring, on the analysis of nationalism functions on the level of a nation state and international system. The author is making an attempt to mark the boundaries of the applicability of the Wallerstein’s approach to the study of nationalism. Nationalism is viewed as a factor favoring to functioning and supporting the world’s political system. Special emphasis is put on an instrumental nature of nationalism, its inconsistency to understanding of a nation as an ethnic category.
Key words: Nationalism, nation, race, ethnic group, nation state 134 №11/2008 by issue Dzina Beljautseva (Dina Beljavtseva). Ethno-religious factor and formation of regional features of political consciousness in Belarus, p. 102-106 (in Russian) The author is examining the features of ethnic and confessional situation in Belarus. The combination of ethnic and religious factor is regarded as a significant force to determine political behaviour (particularly voting), as well as territorial division of Belarus by the axis West-East. The article focuses on the analysis of a national composition in Belarus, a territorial distribution of religious communities, their size and the results of the relevant sociological surveys. On this basis the author makes the conclusion about the nature of dependency of political orientation choice on religious and national identity.
Key words: Religion, politics in Belarus, confessional situation, political behaviour Leonid Vygovski. Functionality specificity of structural elements of a religious complex, p.107-110 (in Russian) The article covers the examination of theoretical aspects of religious life organization. The accent is made to the study of such phenomena as religious consciousness, religious activity, religious relations, religious organizations and institutions.
The mentioned phenomena are regarded as parts of a single complex which shapes a functional unity. The author examines specific features of interaction of the given phenomena in various social and cultural contexts as well as in the conditions of a contemporary society Key words: Religion, religious behaviour, religious relations, functions of religions Political Sphere. The other revolutions. # 4, 2005 Intellectuals: Beyond the competence. A talk to Ihar Babkou, p. 5-6 (in Belarusian) The interview with a well-known Belarusian philosopher and man of letters Ihar Babkou covers a problem and a role of intellectuals in the present-day world.
The issues of the discussion are the role of intellectuals in various cultural and political conditions, current difference between “left-wingers” and “right-wingers”, the importance of “utopia” and “resistance”, the essence and motives of revolutionary intentions. Apart from that the author touches upon the specific features of Belarusian situation: the potential and directions of ideological changes, political knowledge, creation and reformation of political visions.
135 №11/2008 Articles published in Journal of “Political Sphere” in 2004–2008 Key words: Intellectuals and politics, political behaviour, political knowledge, ideology in Belarus On the ruins of revolution: dispute on scientific communism. A talk by Andrei Yahorau and a discussion within the frames of the methodological seminar “Political knowledge”, p. 10-16 (in Belarusian) Political knowledge in different social systems can be generated not only by political science but also b y other disciplines beginning from “history” and ending “political philosophy”. In the USSR it was scientific communism that basically generated political knowledge. Scientific communism consisted of “archaeology” and interpretation of Marxism-Leninism classics, criticism of bourgeois theories and study of liberation movements in the Third World countries, socialist building and socialist breeding. Scientific communism was oriented to the apologia of communist system, legitimization of the existing power system, formation of a new way of thinking. The present-day Belarusian political science to a large degree has become a successor of scientific communism, having inherited a number of essential bugs. And only the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s have seen the elimination of these bugs.
Key words: political knowledge, scientific communism, political science, genesis of political science in Belarus Andrei Kazakevich. Sumer: “conservative” model of social changes, p. 25-28 (in Belarusian) The author examines the conceptions of social and political changes in the society in ancient Sumer. He focuses his attention on linguistic personification of the categories close to the concepts of “reform”, “uprising”, “revolution” etc. The semantics and the interpretation of these conceptions have a pronounced conservative form and appeals to the recovery of the past, restoring the tradition which most expressively finds its embodiment in the concept ama-ar-gi (“return to mother”).
Key words: Sumer, history of political idea, concept of revolution, politics in antiquity Siargei Bogdan. Ideological basis of Islamic revolution: conception of a mujahidin-revolutionary Ali Shariati, p. 29-36 (in Belarusian) The article touches upon three aspects of ideological heritage of Ali Shariati, an Iranian sociologist and ideologist of the left-wing Iranian movement. These aspects have a direct reference to revolution as the way to change the world-as-it-is and its nature. The author has made an attempt to summarize Ali Shariati ’s ideas on a number of topical questions relating to revolution and to reconstruct his whole vision of revolution and revolution movement including its role in the develop- 136 №11/2008 by issue ment of a society. The author has also put emphasis on the key components of the corresponding conceptions, particularly the ideal of a “mujahidin -revolutionary”.
Key words: Ali Shariati , political Islam, Islamic revolution, “red Shiism”, Islamic socialism Aliaxandr Sarna (Aleksandr Sarna). Visual metaphor in discourse of ideology, p. 55-60 (in Russian) The article reveals a significant role of the phenomenon of metaphor in modern culture where it stands not just for a tool of poetic and art practice, but represents a specific strategy of power. At the same time the author makes an attempt to depict the main characteristics of the visual metaphor (comparing it with symbol), its structure as connecting concept and percept, as well as the extent of its influence on modern political conceptions and social practice.
Key words: visual metaphor, concept & percept, image as icon, discourse of power Tatsiana Chulitskaya (Tatiana Chulitskaya) Dismantling of the sate of universal well-being, p. 61-67 (in Russian) The contemporary universal well-being state is in a deep crisis caused by the impact of both external and internal social-economic and political factors. These factors can lead to displacement, or even dismantling of the given project of the above-mentioned state structure. The basic inner contradictions of the contemporary universal well-being state lie in the transition of power from social-democrats to liberals and conservative forces. The external context has been assigned by the tendencies and challenges of globalization and different models or respond of the state of universal well-being to these challenges. The crisis of the state of universal well-being can be met only with active support on behalf of a society, new social movements and parties of non-classical type.
Key words: state of universal well-being, globalization, social critical theory, contemporary state Juri Chavusau. Revolutionary subconsciousness of Belarusian elite, p. 6874 (in Russian) The author evaluates the potential impulses towards changes within Belarusian political elite as a state-property managing class. He examines the probability of reformist and revolutionary scenarios of development in Belarusian politics. He also draws parallels between evolution of Belarusian political elite and development of processes in Soviet nomenclature. Foreign- economic position is regarded as a psychological factor in Belarusian politics? which can act as a catalyst of transformation processes.
137 №11/2008 Articles published in Journal of “Political Sphere” in 2004–2008 Key words: elites, prognosis, reforms, revolution, Belarusian politics Pavel Usau (Pavel Usov). Psychological aspects of revolutionary situations, p. 81-87 (in Russian) The article covers the research of psychological aspects of revolutionary situations. The author aims to consider psychological factors as the factors driving revolutions. He made an attempt to determine and consider psychological levels of revolutions, to define acting forces transforming public consciousness. Resting upon the work by American political scientist Tedd Robert Gurr “Why men rebel?”, the author rises a problem of studying a specific social and political type of thinking which is necessary for psychological transformation. He also focuses his attention on external conditions needed for transition of psychological changes into political actions. In conclusion the researcher points to the significance of psychological factors study in order to determine revolutionary processes.
Key words: physiological transformation, physiology of revolution, revolutionary process, revolutionary situation Jerzy Mackow. Nation and civil society, p. 88-99 (in Belarusian) The article covers the examination of a nation and a civil society. The author is aimed at the analysis of specific relationships between the above-mentioned concepts. In the process of analysis he finds it difficult to define the concept “civil society”. Examining the role of a state in the formation of a nation and a society the researcher pays special attention to the typologies of nationalisms presented by Hans Kohn, Anthony Smith and Ernest Gellner . Resting upon the analysis of a nation and society formation, he comes to the conclusion that there is no pronounced separation between them. What is more important that a society, a nation and a state complement and influence each other.
Key words: nation-building, conception of nation, nationalism, typology of nationalism, civil society “Part of the world which already does not exist”. A talk to Jerzy Mackow, a German researcher, p. 100-103 (in Belarusian) The talk covers the question of revolutionary changes of current social systems on the territory of a former Polish-Lithuanian state. The relation between the national history and culture development and processes of revolutionary changes is the issue of his talk. In the context of the formation of Ukrainian nation the interviewer touches upon the concept of “orange revolution”. Further issues of his talk are the problem of compatibility of “national” and “democratic” projects and the role of civil community in realization of revolutions. He sees an opportunity for a new wave of democratization rise to rise. He also views the prospects of develop- 138 №11/2008 by issue ment of the current Belarusian model and possibility to actualize revolutionary project in Belarus.
Key words: revolution, revolutionary changes, political regime, democratization, civil community, transition Andrei Kazakevich. De-conceptualisation of Creolism, p. 104-115 (in Belarusian) The article covers a critical analysis on the conception “Creoles” and “Creolism” in the environment of Belarusian intellectuals. The author examines the genesis of the concept, effects of external intellectual environments, the ways of their adaptation and superimposition on cultural and political situation in Belarus (Eastern Europe). The researcher explains the logics of basic assumptions and problems in studying the above-mention concept and its insufficient attachment to reality. In conclusion he points to the directions for further discussion on specificity of Belarusian cultural and political situation.
Key words: Creole conception, Creolism, the Creoles, Belarusian identity, nation-building in Belarus Political Sphere. Beyond the centre. # 5, 2005 Andrei Kazakevich. Review of Local government acts by Belarusian Constitutional Court (1997–2004), p. 4-8 (in Russian) The article focuses on examination of certain tendencies of Belarus constitutional justice development. Special attention is paid to the procedure of viewing the acts of local government from 1997 to 2004 by the Constitutional Court. The reduced importance of the Constitutional justice in a state system after the 1996 constructional changes has made the Constitutional Court seek for new forms of involvement in legal regulation. In the result the Court concentrated greater attention on law-creating instruments and enhanced its activity on regional level.
Key words: Constitutional court of Belarus, local acts, local government, judicial power J uri Chavusau. Organizational development of BNF (Belarusian People’s Front) Party prior to the 2004 parliamentary elections— an attempt to examine party organization in Belarus, p.9-28 (in Belarusian) The article focuses on the BPF Party as the key element of Belarusian political opposition in the context of the 2004 Parliamentary elections. The author accentuates his attention on the question of the party’s development prior to electioneer- 139 №11/2008 Articles published in Journal of “Political Sphere” in 2004–2008 ing. The reference point for preparation to the Parliamentary elections is public disclosure of the results of the 2001 Presidential elections. The researcher touches upon the aspect of organizational history of the party. To write the paper the author used the available politological researches, analytical materials, publications in mass media, documents of the BPF Party and interviews with the party’s authorities. The work is an attempt to activate research in studying the real situation and development of Belarusian political parties.
Key words: Political party, political opposition, BNF (BPF) Party, party building, Parliamentary elections, the 2004 elections Volha Rakhanskaya (Olga Rakhanskaya). The structure of administrative staff of Belarus Ministry of Agriculture, p. 29-39 (in Russian) The article reveals the dynamics of changes of Belarus Ministry of Agriculture and Food organizational structure in 1990-2005. The author’s purpose is to analyze the reasons for creation of new structural subdivisions, to determine factors affecting the institution structure, to give functional characteristic to the Ministry, to examine the effect of ministers’ rotation on reorganization of the institution. To make a complex analysis of organizational structure development the author gives the background of the development of administrative staff for Belarus agriculture up to the year of 1990.
Key words: Ministry of Agriculture, organizational structure, public policy, state administration Natalia Vasilevich. “The Orthodox believers”: religious identity in regional studies, p. 40-47 (in Belarusian) The article covers the methodological problem in studying religious identity and political culture. The author criticizes Weberian approach to strict influence of religion on social behaviour, trying to trace the roots of Belarusian tradition of seeing the availability of Western and Eastern Christianity as key-division in national and civilization identity, which has transformed over the last decades to regionalist difference seen as a cause of different religious identities.
Key words: Religious identity, national identity, regional studies, Orthodox Church, methodology Aleh Breski (Oleg Breskii). Principle of subsidiarity in transformation of the Eastern European countries, p. 68-76 (in Russian) The article reveals the specific features of implementation of principle of subsidiarity in the Eastern European societies in the epoch of modern. The research of reforms consistency in the countries of the region is carried out. The question on principle of subsidiarity limitation and its relation to the principle of personal free- 140 №11/2008 by issue dom is specified. Principle of subsidiarity is characterized as an organic civilizational principle of complex social systems organization consisting of free elements.
The author actualizes the significance of transformation of the Eastern Europe and proposes a universal tool to describe the above-mentioned processes.
Key words: Regions, regionalism, subsidiarity, Eastern Europe, transition Mikhas Andrasuk. The 2002 Belarusian elections in Poland, p. 77-80 (in Belarusian) The article is about the participation of the Belarusian national minority in the elections in Poland. The author focuses his attention at the 2002 local elections in Bialystok region. He examines the participation of Belarusian organizations in local governments. Attention is paid to the first autonomous participation of the Belarusians in local elections and the possibility to consolidate the positions of specific Belarusian political force. Analyzing the elections results, the author puts emphasis on the availability of real prospects of success for the Belarusian minority in the 2005 Parliamentary elections in Poland.
Key words: Local elections, local elections in Bialystok region, Belarusian Diaspora, Belarusian national minority Alaster Rabalgaci. Bialystok region local government elections (1998), p.
81-95 (in Belarusian) The article covers the 1998 elections to local government in Bialystok region.
The author examines the participation in the elections of Belarus Orthodox community. He makes analysis of the activities of special committees to attract national minorities to participation in elections. He focuses his attention to the activities of such committees in local political conditions. The results of the elections show a certain progress of Belarusian minority in the districts where political forces managed to group to assert their own interests in future.
Key words: local elections, local government, Bialystok region elections, Belarusian minority in Poland Inna Kulei. Brest region: social and political review, p. 96-101 (in Russian) The article covers the analysis of Brest region social and political development basic parameters. The author examines the general structure of the region, its national and religious composition, materials of sociological studies which demonstrate the specific character of the dynamics of public opinion in the region. Special attention is paid to the analysis of community self-organization, the strength and potential of civil society structures.
141 №11/2008 Articles published in Journal of “Political Sphere” in 2004–2008 Key words: Brest region, regional policy, civil society, Belarusian regions, Belarus politics Andrei Yahorau. Organizing activity game as a method of political research and interaction, p. 102-109 (in Belarusian) Organizing activity games (OAG) is the method to solve complex problems via collective thinking activity. OAG appeared and practiced within the frames Moscow Methodological Circle (ММC) which operated in the 80s -90s with G.P. Shedrovitsky at head. In Belarus the pupils of Shedrovitsky carried out several OAGs, including a series of games organized by the methodologist Ul. Matskevich. In the current paper the author views OAG as a method to solve political problems, to make political analysis and to elaborate new political knowledge as well as “Development of wining political strategy: writing of scenario and designing, programming” in 2005 on the basis of analysis of the corresponding OAG.
Key words: Organizing activity games, STA (System-thought-activity) approach, political practice, applied political knowledge Yauheni Zharabetski. Russia is too large…, p. 110-116 (in Belarusian) The article covers the specificity of development of present-day Russia. Special attention is paid to the analysis of contradictions between geopolitical (imperial) ambitions and real political, and, especially, demographic potentials. Complex demographic situation nullifies not only the expansion but also the ability of maintaining and preserving political stability and territorial integrity (especially problematic is the Far East region where the aggravated competition with China is observed). The author also proposes the scenarios for this situation to develop in near future.
Key words: Russian politics, Russian foreign policy, demographic situation, security Pavel Usau (Pavel Usov). The place of Belarus in geopolitical space: inside view, p. 117-128 (in Russian) Both natural and social and political factors affect the development of states.
When analyzing geopolitical situation of Belarus, the following issues should be taken into account: geographical and climate conditions, nature of activities of elites, political and social activity of population. Three stages of vision by political elite of geopolitical situation and geopolitics preferences in Belarus: moderate nationalism (1991-1994), radical integration of Belarus and Russia (1994-2000), the strategy of its own way (2000-2005). Additionally, the author analyzes the content of official geopolitical doctrine and representation of geopolitical situation of Belarus in public opinion.
142 №11/2008 by issue Key words: Geopolitics, geopolitical situation of Belarus, geopolitical doctrine, geopolitical ideas Mikalai Katsuk (Nikolai Katsuk) Virtual communication of “the intellectuals”: motive for self-determination, p. 129-132 (in Russian) The article reveals the specific features of interaction within the frames of intellectual field of Belarus. The author develops the logics of interpersonal and intergroup interaction, specificity of ethic norms, describes the structure and significance of the mentioned field, problems of its structuring in Belarus. Apart from that, he contemplates over the way of thinking and the line of action of a presentday ‘intellectual” in Belarus, his motivation and argumentation logics which is done on the basis of the analysis of statements and on-line interaction practices.
Key words: Intellectual field, intellectual politics, the intellectuals and politics, virtual communication Juri Aleksandrenkau (Juri Aleksandrenkov). Survey of theses on sociology, p.
133-134 (in Russian) The survey includes the summaries of theses on sociology upheld in Belarus in 2004 and in the beginning of 2005. Short annotation of papers, the description of their problematic and specializations have been given.
Key words: Sociology, sociology in Belarus, Ph.D. theses