A presentation of the book "History of Belarus from the Mid-18th Century to Our Time" will take place in Bialystok
On April 27, a presentation of the book "History of Belarus from the Mid-18th Century to Our Time" will take place in Bialystok, with the participation of one of its authors, Aleh Latyshonak.
Aleh Latyshonak is a well-known historian, professor at the University of Bialystok. He is the author of popular historical and journalistic works "Soldiers of the BNR", "Nationality - Belarusian", "Bialystok - Polotsk", as well as monographs on the past and present geopolitics of Central and Eastern Europe.
This is a synthetic essay on the history of Belarus over the past 275 years. The absence of the pro-Russian perspective, typical for official Belarusian historiography, is striking. In particular, Belarus's involvement in the Russian cultural and geopolitical orbit after the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is viewed from the perspective of moving away from European cultural and political ideals.
Unlike their colleagues in the Republic of Belarus, there are no forbidden or undesirable topics for Bialystok historians. Therefore, this discussion covers the full-scale Russification of Belarus within the USSR, attempts at national life in Belarus under German occupation, and the question of Aliaksandr Lukashenka's political legitimacy. The narrative is brought up to the 2020 elections with their main protagonists, including coverage of the election campaigns of Viktar Babaryka and other opposition politicians.
From the book you can learn about:
- Belarus in the mid-18th century (the country and its people, social structure, economy, and more about the era of early Enlightenment).
- the culture of Belarus in the 19th century, as well as its political and intellectual life.
- how the Belarusian national movement emerged and developed.
- the Stalinist genocide of Belarusians.
- Belarusian national life in Poland.
- the activities of the Belarusian Popular Front (BNF) and the nature of Lukashenka's presidency.
- Belarus's foreign policy after gaining independence.
Presentation date: April 27, 2026 (Monday), 19:00—20:30 (CET).
Address: Bialystok, "Neighbor's House", ul. Sienkiewicza 82, -1 floor.
The presentation is held with the support of the European Union program EU4Belarus: Support to Advanced Learning and Training (SALT II).