Struggle over Identity: The Official and the Alternative Belarusianness

The monograph describes how the ethno-symbolic nation of the Belarusian nationalists, based on the cultural capital of the Golden Age of the Belarusian past (17th century) competes with the 'nation' institutionalized and reified by the numerous civic rituals and social practices under the auspices of the actual post-Soviet Belarusian state.

Comparing the two concepts not only provides understanding of the logic that dominates Belarusian society's self-description models, but also enables us to evaluate the chances of alternative Belarusianness to win this unequal struggle over identity.