International Conference of Political Developments in Belarus: Analysis of Political Changes and Future Prognoses
Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University, invites scholars, researchers, and the general public to the international conference “Belarus 2020 and beyond: Path Dependency or Break with the Past?” which will take place on 7-8 October, 2021. The event starts on 7 October at 9 AM (GMT+3).
Political developments in Belarus before, during, and after the Presidential election on August 9, 2020 were marked by protests of unexpected scale and duration. Once again, they have brought back questions about the Belarusian regime to the European political and academic agenda. The aim of the conference is to analyse the recent political developments in Belarus, which shook the foundations of Europe’s longest-lasting authoritarian regime.
“The topic of this conference is highly relevant to the international community, particularly the Eastern European region. The event attracted the interest of more than twenty researchers from various European countries and the United States. Their most recent research includes such themes as the mobilization of Belarusian society, the change in the relationship between the civic society and the government institutions, the impact of digital technologies on organizing the protests. These issues are relevant not only in the context of Belarus but of the other post-Soviet states as well,” says associate professor dr. Laurynas Jonavičius, one of the main organizers of the conference. The event is expected to become a foundation for a long-term cooperation platform which could enrich the research field with theoretical and practical insights stemming from various backgrounds.
The keynote speeches will be delivered by Mr. Karl Dieter Opp, professor emeritus at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Leipzig (Germany) and professor of Sociology at the University of Washington (US), Ms. Olga Shparaga, philosopher and professor at the European College of Liberal Arts and the member of the Coordination Council (Belarus), and Mr. Daniel Treisman, professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles and research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (US).
The conference will take place on 7-8 October, 2021 in Vilnius (Institute of International Relations and Political Science, 10 Vokiečių str.) and online. Both live and online participation requires registering in advance on this website. The program of the conference is available here.
The event will be broadcasted via Zoom where registered participants will be able to address their questions to researchers. To participate in the event in person, National Certificate (Lithuanian Covid-19 passport; Galimybių pasas) or EU Digital Covid Certificate must be presented at the venue.
The conference is organized by the Institute of International Relations and Political Science (Vilnius University) and Konrad-Adenauer Foundation (Liaison Office of the Foundation in Lithuania).