Refine
Document Type
- Article (2)
Language
- English (2)
Has Fulltext
- yes (2)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (2)
Keywords
- Belarus (2)
- Kollektives Gedächtnis (2)
- 1989 (1)
- Commemoration (1)
- Demonstration (1)
- Gedenkstätte (1)
- History (1)
- Kurapaty (1)
- Memory (1)
- Opposition (1)
Institute
Kurapaty, the site of Stalin-era mass executions on the outskirts of Minsk, has long been a much contested space where memories and narratives of the Soviet past clashed. Against the backdrop of a national government that blocks any more critical engagement with the Soviet history of mass crimes, the article explores the way in which Kurapaty has been the birth place of various oppositional groups and memory activists who pursue rather different mnemonic agendas.
What has been the role of historical symbols and images for both mobilizing anti-government protests in Belarus and coping with the state-inflicted violence against peaceful protesters? This is the main question guiding this exploration of the dynamics of memory-related images and symbols during the 2020 protests. It discusses the power of historical symbolism and its parallels in earlier revolutions in the region, yet also emphasises key differences in the Belarusian case.