Overview

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Belarus presents a thorough introduction and overview of the country's history, politics, and international relations. Belarus is as a country that has attracted increased attention since the mass anti-authoritarian protests of 2020 and the ensuing dramatic changes, including the rise of a digital dictatorship and the use of Belarus’ territory for launching Russia’s attack against Ukraine in 2022. Interdisciplinary in focus, the chapters are written by experts in their field and offer a nuanced understanding of the country. The handbook is structured into four thematic clusters: International and regional relations; Political regime dynamics and the democratic protest; Governance, (absent) reform, and the state–society relations; and History, identity, and language A key comprehensive reference work on Belarus offering new and updated research on the country, this handbook will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience, including those studying Central and Eastern Europe, politics and international relations, comparative politics and authoritarianism, social movements and political protest and history and identity.

Full Product Details

Author:   Aliaksei Kazharski
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.790kg
ISBN:  

9781032818207

ISBN 10:   1032818204
Pages:   326
Publication Date:   28 November 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction: Writing about Belarus during “Interesting” Times 1. Belarus-EU Relations: Analyzing Development Phases and Evaluating the EU's Policy Effectiveness 2. Belarus’s Relations with Russia: is the Balancing Act Ending? 3. Belarus’ Relations Beyond the West and Russia: Strategic Partnership with China 4. Belarusian Politics in Exile after 2020: The Emergence and Evolution of a Transnational ‘Political Society in Exile’ 5. The Impact of Russia's War against Ukraine on Belarus: Geopolitics, Regime Survival, Societal Responses 6. Political Regime Transformations: Digital Authoritarianism, Repression, and the Internet 7. The Rule of Law in Belarus: Thirty Years of Driving Backwards 8. Political Opposition in Authoritarian Contexts: The Case of Belarus 9. Political Protests in Contemporary Belarus: Mobilization, Technology, and (Un)Used Political Opportunities 10. Belarusian Civil Society: Navigating Hostile Environments 11. From Authoritarianism to Freedom and Back Again: Belarusian News Media Landscape 12. Belarus' Migration Policies and Instrumentalisation of Migrants 13. Geopolitics of Nuclear Transition: The Impact of the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant on Belarus' Energy Policy and Politics 14. Sociolinguistic Situation and Language Policies in Belarus 15. ‘Hybrid Adaptation’: Education Policy in Belarus 1991-2024 16. National Minorities in Belarus and the Government’s Attitudes Towards Them 17. Gender and Politics in Belarus: a Feminist Analysis 18. How the Republic of Belarus Became Obsessed with Historical Memory 19. The Early Aftermath of the Chernobyl Accident in Belarus 20. National Self-Images and Regional Identities in Belarus 21. An Introduction to the Belarusian Language: History and Structural Features 22. Religion in Belarus: Cultural and Sociopolitical Dimensions 23. Uncovering Belarusian History

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Author Information

Aliaksei Kazharski received his PhD from Comenius University in Bratislava in 2015. He has worked at Charles University in Prague and has been a guest researcher at the universities of Oslo, Tartu, Vienna, Malmö, and Uppsala, the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna (IWM), and the Polish Academy of Sciences. He published two monographs: Eurasian Integration and the Russian World: Regionalism as an Identitary Enterprise (2019) and Central Europe Thirty Years after the Fall of Communism: A Return to the Margin? (2022, winner of the International Studies Association, Global International Relations Section 2022-2023 Book Award).

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