Agency of internal transnationalism in social memory

The article examines the limitations of methodological nationalism in the studies of social memory through a case study of memory of Stalinist repression in Belarus. It analyses how various social agencies – national and local activists, religious organisations, and international foundations – use the memory of repression for constructing post‐Soviet Belarusian identity by embedding their national representations in larger transnational frameworks. Drawing on the concept of ‘internal globalisation’, this article develops the idea of ‘internal transnationalism’ that suggests the importance of wider transnational configurations for the definition of nation. Internalized transnationalism does not make a national memory concept less nation‐centred, but it affects the choice of its cultural, political and civilizational framing. In contrast to methodological cosmopolitanism that implies rediscovering of the national as an internalized global, methodological transnationalism emphasizes the multiplicity of co‐existing transnational networks that can be invoked by social actors in their national mnemonic agenda. Using the case of the Kurapaty memorial site the article analyses how multiple framings of memory representations – the Belarusian national memory, liberal anti‐communist memory, contesting memories, such as Polish, Baltic and Jewish – compete and juxtapose in the space of social memory of political repression.     

Deposit Insurance Reform in Belarus: Remedy or Threat for the Banking System?

The transformation of private savers' funds into business loans through the banking system is weak in Belarus compared with other Eastern European economies. High concentration, governmental interference, an inconsistent regulation, and a difficult business environment characterise the banks' situation. In order to attract more savings, a reform of the deposit insurance system is presently under discussion. This is expected to contribute to economic growth and development. But deposit insurance, especially when established in a weak institutional environment, can unfold multifarious moral-hazard effects. This paper analyses whether the proposed deposit insurance system is likely to improve the present situation and how it could be better adjusted to the country's situation.     

新冠肺炎疫情影响下的白俄罗斯及其与中国合作

新冠肺炎疫情对白俄罗斯经济、社会和政治造成巨大冲击,暴露并加剧了白俄罗斯国家和社会治理领域存在的问题。在疫情背景下,白俄罗斯第六届总统选举触发政治危机。卢卡申科政府通过采取有效措施应对使紧张局势逐渐趋于缓和,国内恢复正常秩序,内外政策随之调整,对内宣布启动修宪,对外加强非西方外交,尤其加强与俄罗斯的联盟关系。疫情发生以来,中国与白俄罗斯开展了行之有效的合作,对于促进白俄罗斯稳定与发展发挥了积极的作用,并为后疫情时代构建中白卫生健康命运共同体奠定了良好基础。     

Designed for Patience: The Significance of Internal Factors in the Ukrainian and Belarusian Transitions

This paper focuses on Belarus in order to find explanation as to why Alexander Lukashenko was able remain the authoritarian leader of Belarus, while in Ukraine the position of the political elite had proved less stable and collapsed in 2004. We seek to determine whether the internal factors (macroeconomic conditions, standard of living, the oppressive nature of the political system) play a significant role in the operation of the domino effect. This article emphasises the determining role of immanent internal factors, thus the political stability in Belarus can be explained by the role of the suppressing political regime, the hindrance of democratic rights and the relatively good living conditions that followed the transformational recession. Whilst in Ukraine, the markedly different circumstances brought forth the success of the Orange Revolution.      

值得学习和借鉴的白俄罗斯高等教育

通过对白俄罗斯高等教育现状的深度考察,从总体情况、高考制度、师资队伍、专业建设、课程建设、实验室建设、学生工作、国际化程度、校企合作、科学研究等十个方面,介绍了白俄罗斯高等教育的突出特点。指出了白俄罗斯高校在办学理念、国际化视野、教风和学风、钻研精神及大学文化方面值得我国高校学习和借鉴。     

The Civilizational Measure “Krymnash” [“Crimea Is Ours”]

The article discusses the notion of “Russian Civilization,” and the ways in which it has been challenged in the last two centuries. Central to the discussion is the question of the extent to which there is a shared Slavic set of cultural beliefs, and the degree to which Russian/Slavic civilization is prepared to move from a state-centered to an individual-centered set of values.     

The peasant matrix for nation building: an effective model? Some reflections on the Belarusian case

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the challenges and difficulties faced in using a peasant model to create a national matrix for Belarus. The sense of belonging to a nation generated by the ‘community of the soil’ [Foucher, M. (2007). L'obsession des frontières [Obsession of the Frontiers]. Paris: Perrin] has a special significance for ‘community of destiny’ [Weber, M. (1995). Économie et société: tome 2 [Economy and Society: vol. 2]. Paris: Plon] for the Belarusian nation in that Belarus is a peasant nation. ‘The peasantry is the most authentic expression of the relationship between a nation and its land; peasant customs become ethnic symbols and referents’ [Thiesse, A.-M. (1999). La création des identités nationales: Europe XVIII^e–XX^e siècles [The Creation of National Identities. Europe XVIII^th–XX^th centuries]. Paris: Seuil, 159]. By studying the origin of the sense of belief in a community, Weber (1995) notes that it may originate from the similarities of the exterior habitus [Bourdieu, P. (1964). Le déracinement [Uprooting]. Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit] adaptation to external conditions, and imitation of a neighboring group. These assumptions are of significant importance for the study of Belarusian identity, an understanding of which cannot be reached without taking into account the fundamental role played by the peasantry in the history of Belarus. Historical analysis indeed bears out the importance of the peasant stratum in the Belarusian socio-political and identity structure. Many scholars insist on the fact that identity-building process are inherently territorial Foucher (2007), relating to the ‘soil’ of the nation [Balibar, E. (2005). Europe. Constitution. Frontière [Europe. Constitution. Frontier]. Paris: Editions du Passant], which is particularly important for peasant nations, as Belarusians.     

Marching Against the Dictator: Chernobyl Path in Belarus

The protest campaign Chernobyl Path is held annually in Belarus to commemorate victims of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, raise public awareness of environmental issues, and call for democratization in the post-communist state. The size of this protest event, however, has declined since the mid-1990s. This Profile argues that protest tactics and state countermoves account for a low level of citizen participation in the protest event. The empirical analysis focuses on the protest campaign held in the capital city of Minsk in spring 2013. The present analysis examines tactics deployed by regime opponents and state authorities during this protest campaign. The study illustrates how civic activists in an authoritarian regime seek to put environmental issues on the public agenda.     

俄白哈关税同盟对中哈农产品出口贸易的影响及趋势分析

文章分析了俄白哈关税同盟对我国特别是新疆农产品出口哈萨克斯坦的不同影响,并通过随机前沿引力模型分析贸易非效率项,结合灰色模型预测分析,探究关税同盟的影响趋势.结果表明:俄白哈关税同盟抑制了我国对哈农产品的出口,对新疆的冲击较为明显;贸易非效率水平均趋于下降,贸易效率因素将削弱俄白哈关税同盟的负面影响;未来四年我国对哈农产品出口将依旧保持上升态势,新疆对哈农产品出口增长尤为迅速;关税同盟对新疆既是机遇又是挑战,且机遇大于挑战.最后结合主要结论提出政策建议.