Belarus in the historical policy of Poland (2005–2020)

Abstract

The political use of history to affirm dominant political discourses and form a system of loyalty has become an integral part of modern domestic and foreign policy. Poland represents a classic example of the instrumentalisation of history. History has become the subject of controversy, and sometimes acute conflicts of Poland with Russia, Ukraine, Germany and Lithuania. Until recently, Belarus remained a blank spot in Polish historical policy. The aim of the research is to study the Belarusian direction of Polish historical policy. The research is based on an institutional approach. The article reveals the influence of the foreign factor on the formation of Polish historical policy. The conceptual foundations and goals of the Polish historical policy in relation to Belarus are analysed. The characteristics of actors, institutions and practices of Polish historical policy are given. In conclusion, we raise the question of assessing the effectiveness of Polish historical policy in Belarus.

Author Biography

Alexander Georgievich Tsimbal, Minsk State Linguistic University, 21 Zacharava Street, Minsk 220034, Belarus

PhD (history), docent; associate professor at the department of history, world culture and tourism.

References

  1. Chwedoruk R. The politics of history in Europe: pediodisation and the main debates. Studia Politologiczne. 2015;35:47–74.
  2. Davies N. Europe at war 1939–1945: no simple victory. London: Penguin Books; 2006. 544 p.
  3. Feindt G, Krawatzek F, Mehler D, Pestel F, Trimçev R. Entangled memory: toward a third wave in memory studies. History and Theory. 2014;53(1):24–44.
  4. Titov VV. Politika pamyati i formirovanie natsional’no-gosudarstvennoi identichnosti: rossiiskii opyt i novye tendentsii [The politics of memory and the formation of national-state identity: Russian experience and new trends]. Moscow: Wash format; 2017. 184 p. Russian.
  5. Kas’janov G. Past continuous: istorychna polityka 1980-h–2000-h. Ukraina ta susidy [Past continuous: historical policy of the 1980s–2000s. Ukraine and its neighbours]. Kyїv: Laurus; 2018. 420 p. Ukrainian. Co-published by «AnthroposLogos-Film».
  6. Malinova OYu. [Memory regime as an analysis tool: problems of conceptualisation]. In: Miller AI, Efremenko DV, editors. Politika pamyati v sovremennoi Rossii i stranakh Vostochnoi Evropy. Aktory, instituty, narrativy [The politics of memory inmodern Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe. Actors, institutions, narratives]. Saint Petersburg: Publishing House of the European University in Saint Petersburg; 2020. p. 26–40. Russian.
  7. Innes AJ, Steele BJ. Memory, trauma and ontological security. In: Resende E, Budryte D, editors. Memory and trauma in international relations. Theories, cases and debates. London: Routledge; 2014. p. 15–30.
  8. Marszałek-Kawa J, Piechowiak-Lamparska J, Ratke-Majewska A, Wawrzyński P. Polityka pamięci i kształtowanie tożsamości politycznej w czasie tranzycji postautorytarnej. Studia przypadku. Warszawa: Difin SA; 2016. 268 s.
  9. Chwedoruk R. Polityka historyczna.Warszawa: PWN; 2018. 386 s.
  10. Nowinowski SM, Pomorski J, Stobiecki R, editors. Pamięć i polityka historyczna: doświadczenia Polski i jej sąsiadów. Łódź: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej; 2008. 398 s.
  11. Skibiński P, Wiścicki T, Wysocki M, editors. Historycy i politycy: polityka pamięci w III RP. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo DiG; 2011. 259 s.
  12. Traba R. Przeszłość w teraźniejszości: polskie spory o historię na początku XXI wieku. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie; 2009. 325 s.
  13. Ociepka B. Zagraniczna polityka historyczna: Polska między Niemcami a Rosją. In: Ociepka B, editor. Historia w dyplomacji publicznej. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo naukowe SCHOLAR; 2015. s. 212–229.
  14. Łuczewski M. Kapitał moralny: polityki historyczne w późnej nowoczesności. Kraków: Ośrodek Myśli Politycznej; 2017. 431 s.
  15. Śleszyński W. Historia w służbie polityki: zmiany polityczne a konstruowanie przekazu historycznego na ziemiach białoruskich w XX i XXI wieku. Białystok: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku; 2018. 467 s.
  16. Kovalenya A, Archakov V, Danilovich V, Ban’kovskii A. [On the issue of historical politics]. Belaruskaja dumka. 2019;8:3–11. Russian.
  17. Shadurski VG. [Historical policy in the Republic of Belarus: stages of development and interpretation versions of the past]. Trudy fakul’teta mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii BGU. 2014;5:9–24. Russian.
  18. Snapkouski VE. [Historical politics in Belarus during the period of perestroika and the parliamentary republic (1985–1994)]. Trudy fakul’teta mezhdunarodnykh otnoshenii BGU. 2014;5:62–69. Russian.
  19. Šmigeľ M, Menkouski VI. «There is a beginning of the revolution, no end of the revolution»: 1917 in Russian historical policy and contemporary Russian-language historiography. Journal of the Belarusian State University. History. 2017;2:83–91. Russian.
  20. Menkouski VI. The phenomenon of the historical memory of Stalinism in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. East European History. 2015;1(1):32–38.
  21. Lastovsky AL. Particular features of historical memory in Belarus. The Russian Public Opinion Herald. Data. Analysis. Discussions. 2009;4:88–99. Russian.
  22. Matusevich OA. [Basic approaches to the study of the historical memory of Belarusians: challenges, achievements and prospects]. Trudy BGTU. Seriya 6. Istoriya, filosofiya. 2017;2:74–78. Russian.
  23. Tikhamirau AV. [Poland in the historical policy of Belarus (20th – beginning of 21st centuries)]. In: Shadurski VG, editor. Mnogovektornost’ vo vneshnei politike Respubliki Belarus’ [Multivectorness in the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus]. Minsk: Publishing Centre of the Belarusian State University; 2016. p. 79–82. Russian.
  24. Shadurski VG. [From a culture of memory to a culture of historical dialogue (on the example of the activities of the Belarusian-Polish historical commission)]. In: Shadurski VG, editor. Belarus’ mezhdu Vostokom i Zapadom: sovremennye tendentsii [Belarus between East and West: current trends]. Minsk: Publishing Centre of the Belarusian State University; 2017. p. 75–85. Russian.
  25. Bukonkin DA. [Historical politics as a new element in the Belarusian-Polish interstate relations]. In: Shadurski VG, editor. Mnogovektornost’ vo vneshnei politike Respubliki Belarus’ [Multivectorness in the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus]. Minsk: Publishing Centre of the Belarusian State University; 2016. p. 4–15. Russian.
  26. Miller AI, Efremenko DV, editors. Politika pamyati v sovremennoi Rossii i stranakh Vostochnoi Evropy. Aktory, instituty, narrativy [The politics of memory in modern Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe. Actors, institutions, narratives]. Saint Petersburg: Publishing House of the European University in Saint Petersburg; 2020. 632 p. Russian.
  27. Traba R. [Polish disputes about history in the 21st century]. Pro et contra. 2009;3–4:43–65. Russian.
  28. Zięba R. Poland’s foreign and security policy: problems of compatibility with the changing international order. Cham: Springer; 2020. 280 p.
  29. Rulyova N, Hutchings S, Beumers B. Commemorating the past/performing the present: television coverage of the Second World War victory celebrations and the (de)construction of Russian nationhood. In: Rulyova N, Hutchings S, Beumers B. The post-Soviet Russian media. London: Routledge; 2009. p. 153–172.
  30. Adamuzsko W, editor. «Zachodnia Bialorus» 17.IX.1939–22.VI.1941. Tom 1. Wydarzenia i losy ludzkie: rok 1939. Warszawa: [s. n.]; 1998. 511 s.
  31. Lastovsky AL. [The historical memory of Belarusian Poles: between official narratives and family traditions]. Sotsiologicheskii almanakh. 2011;2:290–301. Russian.
  32. Mieroszewski J. Rosyjski «kompleks polski» i obszar ULB. Kultura. 1974;9:1–3.
Published
2020-10-30
Keywords: politics of memory, Poland, Belarus, Institute of National Remembrance, historical policy
How to Cite
Tsimbal A. G. Belarus in the historical policy of Poland (2005–2020) // Journal of the Belarusian State University. History. 2020. 4. PP. 20-33.