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Seminar day “Is it dangerous to learn history? The example of Belarus”

On November 18, a seminar day titled “Is it dangerous to learn history? The example of Belarus” will take place at the National Archives of Estonia in Tartu . The event will discuss, using the example of Belarus, how historical writing is shaped in an undemocratic country. The seminar is open to history teachers, students, historians, and anyone interested in history. All discussions will be held in English.

The first part of the seminar will offer a quick overview of the history of Belarus. The focus will be on examining which facts and approaches have been declared taboo and removed from history textbooks.

In the second part of the seminar, the discussion will center on why neutral, fact-based historical analysis is considered so dangerous in undemocratic regimes that it can even lead to imprisonment. The exploration will include the goals behind turning history education into a tool of political propaganda.

Agenda

13.30 Greetings from Priit Pirsko, National Archivist and Alina Kouchyk, United Transitional Cabinet Representative for National Revival.

Sviatlana Tsikhanovskaya will also participate in the event.

Panel I — 13:30–15:00
Moderator: Karsten Brüggemann

“Teaching and learning post-1991 history in Belarusian schools” Anastasiya Fiadotava, PhD, Senior Researcher at the Estonian Literary Museum
“Placing Belarus in the European historical context: a Belarusian perspective” Katia Glod, Russia-West Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network, London
“How does the current political regime in Belarus treat the 1918 independence proclamation?” Lizaveta Kasmach, PhD, historian, indipendent researcher and author

Coffee Break — 15:00–15:30

Panel II — 15:30–17:00
Moderator: Indrek Tarand

“How the Soviet period is presented in textbooks and why” Iryna Ramanava, PhD, professor at the European Humanities University, Vilnius
“Memory politics in Belarus-Russia relations” Ryhor Nizhnikau, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
“War, Authoritarianism & Technology” Tatsiana Astrouskaya, PhD, researcher at the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe, Marburg

The seminar day will take place at the Noora building of the National Archives (Nooruse 3, Tartu). The event is organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Archives of Estonia.