Cultural Representation of National Minorities in Belarus

Abstract

by Hanna Vasilevich

National culture is a reflection of modernity. This is linked with the fact that national identity is formed and transformed through and within representation (Hall et al. 1996: 612). Adherence to a certain community can be viewed through the prism of symbols and thus has a number of meanings. Consequently, a nation can be treated not just as a political formation but also as a source of meanings (i.e. symbols), which constitute a system of cultural representation; people can be viewed as participants of the process of representation, i.e. they represent national culture as it is (ibid). This text focuses on the cultural representations of the national minorities in the Republic of Belarus. The analysis is centered on three primary aspects: domestic legislation on national minorities, ethnic structure of Belarusian society and the linguistic situation in the country.