Call for Papers: The Belarusian Postcolonial Revolution

Call for Papers: The Belarusian Postcolonial Revolution

Six years ago we found a new concept of “postcolonial revolution” to be exceptionally productive in analyzing the Ukrainian Euromaidan as an unprecedented instance of claiming collective subjectivity through redefining solidarity and creatively reenacting the nation rather than through negating any normative Other:

Ukrainian revolution is postcolonial because it not only set out to overthrow the political and economic hegemony of a tyrant (foreign or domestic) but also released the forces of societal self-organization. Even more: the public agenda of revolution and, particularly, of the postrevolutionary period, has been defined predominantly by the citizens of Ukraine and on their terms. … Judging by the rhetoric of leaders of Ukrainian public opinion, the emerging type of “new Ukrainians” do not define themselves by negating everything “colonial” (thus effectively remaining within the hold of colonially imposed mental frames). They are creatively minding their business, inventing a new country for themselves, and when they have to respond to outside pressure, they frame the response in their own terms.

In a way, the Belarusian movement in defense of the popular vote falsified in the presidential election of August 9, 2020, presents an even purer example of postcolonial revolution. As can be judged by the abundance of real-life reporting on the ground: (1) it involves a much higher proportion of the country’s population – up to 15 percent if counting all people ages fifteen to sixty-five; (2) it is indifferent to cultural identities and is conducted largely in the Russian language while remaining adamantly Belarusian politically and in regard to recognizing the fundamentality of Belarusian culture and language; and (3) it is neutral to neighboring countries and does not use real or imagined national security concerns as a mobilizing factor. The remarkably peaceful and orderly character of the Belarusian protests reflects not only a tactical necessity in the face of the overwhelming repressive apparatus of the regime (which was not the case in Ukraine in 2014) but also the decisively non-antagonistic intellectual predisposition of the movement. It does not need the Other to validate its own subjectivity – neither in the present nor the past – hence the remarkable absence of historicizing rhetoric, the marginality of references to the early modern Grand Duchy of Lithuania or the short-lived independence in 1918, or the pre-Lukashenko period of the early 1990s. The use of the white-red-white flag as the main symbol of protest is substantiated in light of recent events, not as a relic of some glorious past.

Seeing the events in Belarus from this vantage point, it becomes particularly important to document and study the unfolding process of postcolonial self-organization of the new Belarusian nation. As is the case with most revolutions, virtually nobody was able to intuit its coming. Hence, it is important to register the moment of self-description and practice before the time when events become retrospectively rationalized as history. The central question is whether spontaneous subaltern actions lead to novel ways of articulating politics and belonging or are superseded by hegemonic discourses of European political integration and ethnonational community?  

The editors of Ab Imperio invite scholars participating in the protests who are able to conduct interviews and collect other data or have access to such data to contribute to the thematic forum scheduled for the 3/2020 issue of the journal (to be sent to the printer by December). We welcome self-reflective narratives based on personal experience of the events, too. We understand that the revolution is ongoing and the perspectives of insiders and participants differ from those of researchers who look at the events retrospectively. Hence there are no limitations in terms of genre of contributions: the sole selection requirement is the reflexivity of the scholar’s personal position. (Please see issue 3/2014 for examples for possible formats). To discuss your contribution please contact the editors at abimperio.inc@gmail.com.