“Our hearts demand change!” Signalling in Belarus in 2020

Astract

Vilija Navickaitė will present her research work on triggering and sustaining protests in Belarus. Vilija Navickaitė is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University.

In Belarus, another rigged presidential election in 2020 did not surprise anyone; what did surprise was thousands in the streets protesting persistently for months against a repressive authoritarian regime. It resulted in thousands being detained, imprisoned, and finally forced to emigrate. Belarusian society was considered atomised and apolitical, yet in 2020 it witnessed the most massive protests in its modern history. What happened to trigger such events? What kept people in the streets for months despite the high risk of repression? 

Presenter

Vilija Navickaitė, PhD candidate at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University

Discussants 

Mario Diani, Università di Trento 

Elena Pavan, Università di Trento

You are kindly invited to participate: this event is thought to be an informal feedback session in which especially young scholars provide comments and suggestions in a collaborative environment.