Sociology in Belarus: Where To Go?

The paper describes specific aspects of sociological development trajectories in Belarus: first, in the Soviet period (1960s–1991); second, in the independent Republic of Belarus (from 1991 until now). The primary features of sociology and the factors that influenced its development are characterised. In this analysis, the structural-agency approach is applied as a productive tool to show how the Soviet and post-Soviet social processes influenced the meaning production in Belarusian sociology. Special attention is paid to the discourses in which sociologists participated in the 1990s, 2000s, and onwards. The paper explains why ex-Soviet sociology in Belarus is not an active actor in civil society and describes the current role sociology plays in Belarus. Over the previous three decades, Belarusian sociology was involved in diverse public discussions. In the 1990s, discussions were related to comparisons of democracy and the previous Soviet regime, freedoms and rights in a democratic society, directions of further economic development of Belarus, national identity and nation-building. Since the early 2000s, the official discourses became dominant, while the liberal discourses were pushed out of Belarus and continued in neighbouring countries where liberal Belarusian sociologists found new employment. In Belarus, these discourses are known but have shaky (not officially recognised) status, and therefore, they are not represented in the state media, journals or the public sphere. The modern status of sociology in Belarus has yet to be assessed; it is still waiting for its researchers.