Civil Society by the Grace of Lukashenka?
Social Structural Change in Belarus
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Over two decades, it has been possible to observe a struggle between two tendencies in Belarus: was society going to develop as an autonomous or state-run activity? The mass protests after the 2020 presidential elections impressively demonstrated society’s demand for self-organisation, political participation, and the public spaces required for this. Since then, the Lukashenka regime has been brutally enforcing its concept of civil society controlled from on high. In light of the growing global trend towards autocratization, it is important to understand which functions civil society performs in today’s Belarus and how much scope remains for independent action within it.
(Osteuropa 1-3/2025, pp. 313–336)