A new series of analytical papers examining the current state and key challenges of Belarusian scholarship in exile has been published following the completion of the project Belarusian Historical Scholarship in Exile: Current State and Challenges. Implemented with the financial support of the EU4Belarus: Support to Advanced Learning and Training (SALT II) programme, funded by the European Union, the project sought to strengthen professional dialogue and expert exchange within the Belarusian academic and intellectual community outside the country.
The publication series responds to the profound changes that have affected Belarusian academia since 2020. For many scholars, exile was not a planned or gradual process but the result of political pressure, repression and the destruction of institutional conditions for independent academic work in Belarus. As a consequence, a substantial part of the academic community has continued its work abroad, becoming integrated into different universities, research institutions and academic systems.
These developments have led to increasing fragmentation. Belarusian researchers today work in different institutional, linguistic and disciplinary environments, often within local or international research agendas that leave limited space for sustained reflection on Belarusian issues. Opportunities for regular professional exchange among Belarusian scholars abroad remain limited and frequently depend on informal networks.
At the same time, interest in Belarusian history and historical memory has grown. However, this interest does not always correspond to the logic of academic research and is not always accompanied by the resources necessary to support it. As a result, many researchers find themselves balancing different audiences and expectations without sufficient opportunities to reconcile them.
Against this background, the project aimed to create a space for professional reflection on the conditions under which Belarusian historical scholarship exists in exile today. Rather than proposing institutional solutions or seeking to formulate common positions, it focused on facilitating informed discussion and the exchange of experience among invited experts in a confidential setting.
The analytical paper series is the principal outcome of this work. Drawing on a series of expert seminars, the publications examine the institutional, linguistic and professional conditions in which Belarusian historical scholarship is developing outside the country. They also address the interaction between Belarusian and foreign historical narratives, the structural challenges facing scholars in exile, the opportunities and limitations of different institutional models, and possible approaches to strengthening the long-term resilience of Belarusian scholarship.
Rather than presenting a single perspective or claiming to represent the entire academic community, the papers document the current state of the field at a particular moment. They bring together the principal observations and reflections emerging from the expert discussions and are intended to contribute to continued professional dialogue on the future of Belarusian scholarship in exile.
About this publication
This analytical paper was prepared within the project Belarusian Historical Scholarship in Exile: Current State and Challenges, implemented with the financial support of the EU4Belarus: Support to Advanced Learning and Training (SALT II) programme, funded by the European Union.
The paper forms part of a series of analytical publications examining the current state, key challenges and future perspectives of Belarusian historical scholarship in exile. While informed by discussions held during a closed expert seminar, it reflects the analysis and conclusions of the author(s).
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union, the EU4Belarus: Support to Advanced Learning and Training (SALT II) programme, the International Centre for Ethnic and Linguistic Diversity Studies (ICELDS), or the Belarusian Institute in Prague.
