The Politics of Memory and Its Limits in Conflict with Oral Tradition: The Interwar Period in the Imagination of the West Belarusian Population

What is it about?

Belarus, a country not often in the world spotlight, has a rich and complex history that deeply influences its national identity and politics. Many know Belarus for its strong emphasis on the Great Patriotic War, but this study looks at a different period of Belarus's past: the years between the two world wars in the western regions of the country. The text examines how the stories disseminated by the government and the personal memories of ordinary people coexist. In particular, it describes how the official government narrative interacts with and sometimes ignores personal memories, revealing the limits of the government's power to control people's collective memory.

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