Belarus as a Crucial Case of Wider Regional and Global Trends: Perspectives on Politics, Society, History, Law and Culture

When: 21-10-2025 12:00 to 24-10-2025 20:30
Where: Technicum, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent
Language: English
Organizer: Prof. Dr. Fabienne Bossuyt
Contact: Fabienne.Bossuyt@UGent.be

Description

This specialist course covers contemporary Belarus from political, cultural, legal, historical, and identity-related perspectives. By offering insights on politics, culture, law, history, and society in Belarus, the course seeks to illuminate the relevance and added value of the Belarusian case for contemporary scholarship. In particular, it will demonstrate how Belarus, while being unique in many of its features, is a crucial case of wider trends in Eastern Europe, the post-Soviet space, and beyond.

Targeted participants

This specialist course is especially relevant for PhD students who focus on the wider Eastern European region and examine either country cases or wider regional or global trends from a political, cultural, legal, historical, and/or identity-related perspective in their PhD research.

Application and registration

Participation is free, but applications are required. Applications are made through the application tool. Applications can be submitted until 2 October 2025.

PhD students from the University of Göttingen and Uppsala University can get their travel and accommodation costs covered by their universities via ENLIGHT.

Program

Day 1 – 21 October 2025

12h00-13h00	Welcome lunch
13h00-13h30	Opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Fabienne Bossuyt and Dr. Katsiaryna Lozka
13h30-15h00	Keynote speech: Prof. Dr. Aliaksei Kazharski, Charles University in Prague Conceptual approaches to the study of Belarus: IR theories and beyond Discussant: Prof. Dr. Sofie Bedford, Uppsala University
15h30-15h50	Coffee break
16h00-18h00	Lecture 1: Dr. Maksim Karliuk, LSE International law, regional integration and the case of Belarus: failures and prospects Discussant: Prof. dr. Peter Van Elsuwege, UGent

Day 2 – 22 October 2025

10h00-12h00	Lecture 2: Prof. Dr. Sofie Bedford, Uppsala University Belarus after 2020: The end of electoral authoritarianism Discussant: Dr. Katsiaryna Lozka, UGent
12h00-13h00	Lunch break
13h00-15h00	Presentations by students
19h00-21h00	Movie screening and discussion “The Green Border”, KASK

Day 3 – 23 October 2025

10h00-12h00	Lecture 4: Prof. Simon Lewis, Universität Bremen How to decolonize Belarusian literature? Discussant: Prof. dr. Vjosa Musliu
12h00-13h00	Lunch break
13h00-15h00	Presentations by students

Day 4 – 24 October 2025

10h00-12h00	Lecture 4: Prof. dr. Peter Vermeersch, KU Leuven Poets of change: Creative resistance and the reinvention of national symbols in Belarusian protest art Discussant: Prof. Dr. Ben Dhooge, UGent
12h00-13h00	Lunch break
13h00-15h00	Presentations by students
15h00-15h30	Coffee break
15h30–16h30	Concluding discussion and feedback on the specialist course
17h00-18h30	Poetry evening with Belarusian poet Julia Cimafeiyeva