"Tear Down These Prison Walls!" Verses of Defiance in the Belarusian Revolution. Issue 1 (2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lewis, Simon
• Is Part Of: Slavic review. Volume 80:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 15
• Page End: 26
• Publication Date: 2021
• Subjects: Slavs -- Periodicals; Europe -- History -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.1017/slr.2021.24
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0037-6779

Abstract

Abstract : This contribution examines the creative energy behind the ongoing protests in Belarus, with a focus on poetry and music. Belarus is traditionally a "versocentric" society, where poetry and music have historically played important roles in consolidating national culture. In the 2020 protest movement, fast and widespread distribution through social media has made poetry and music a crucial instrument for cementing a sense of collective identity among protestors, establishing transnational solidarity, and affecting the emotional regime of Belarusian society.