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Behind the “Failed Revolution” : Becoming Patriots, or the Work of Shame in Belarusian Protests

Minchenia, Alena LU (2017) In Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society 3(1). p.21-51
Abstract
This article looks at the politics of shame in relation to the suppressed protests of December 2010 that challenged the re-election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president of Belarus (1994–present). My empirical data consist of independent media publications, blog posts, and interviews that speak of “shame” as an emotional response to the protest, its aftermath, and its general context. The article investigates what lines of social differentiation are animated in the circulation of shame discourse, how ashamed subjects are constructed and positioned in this process, and what shame does in relation to protest and its community. Theoretically it engages with discussions on the ambivalence of shame in constructing national narratives and in... (More)
This article looks at the politics of shame in relation to the suppressed protests of December 2010 that challenged the re-election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president of Belarus (1994–present). My empirical data consist of independent media publications, blog posts, and interviews that speak of “shame” as an emotional response to the protest, its aftermath, and its general context. The article investigates what lines of social differentiation are animated in the circulation of shame discourse, how ashamed subjects are constructed and positioned in this process, and what shame does in relation to protest and its community. Theoretically it engages with discussions on the ambivalence of shame in constructing national narratives and in social movement struggles. The findings suggest that shame, employed as a marker of a patriot of a “non-existent Belarusian nation” and “failed democracy,” creates multiple divisions along the lines of class, civic engagement, and political views. This in turn curtails social mobilization, and ultimately contributes to making social change unimaginable in the present. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
shame, protest, Belarus, politics of emotion, failure
in
Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society
volume
3
issue
1
pages
21 - 51
publisher
Ibidem-Verlag
ISSN
2364-5334
project
Emotionality of Dissent and Continuity of the (Un)Changed in Belarus: Ethnography of Political Protests in Minsk, 2015-2017
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
18027d75-c780-4403-bca2-b34b7dbe8803
date added to LUP
2019-02-15 14:22:30
date last changed
2020-02-04 14:21:37
@article{18027d75-c780-4403-bca2-b34b7dbe8803,
  abstract     = {{This article looks at the politics of shame in relation to the suppressed protests of December 2010 that challenged the re-election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president of Belarus (1994–present). My empirical data consist of independent media publications, blog posts, and interviews that speak of “shame” as an emotional response to the protest, its aftermath, and its general context. The article investigates what lines of social differentiation are animated in the circulation of shame discourse, how ashamed subjects are constructed and positioned in this process, and what shame does in relation to protest and its community. Theoretically it engages with discussions on the ambivalence of shame in constructing national narratives and in social movement struggles. The findings suggest that shame, employed as a marker of a patriot of a “non-existent Belarusian nation” and “failed democracy,” creates multiple divisions along the lines of class, civic engagement, and political views. This in turn curtails social mobilization, and ultimately contributes to making social change unimaginable in the present.}},
  author       = {{Minchenia, Alena}},
  issn         = {{2364-5334}},
  keywords     = {{shame; protest; Belarus; politics of emotion; failure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{21--51}},
  publisher    = {{Ibidem-Verlag}},
  series       = {{Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society}},
  title        = {{Behind the “Failed Revolution” : Becoming Patriots, or the Work of Shame in Belarusian Protests}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}