Book launch: "Handbook of Contemporary Belarus”

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Belarus (ed.Aliaksei Kazharski, forthcoming) presents a thorough introduction and overview of the country's history, politics, and international relations. Belarus is as a country which has attracted increased attention since the mass anti-authoritarian protests of 2020 and the ensuing dramatic changes, including the rise of a digital dictatorship and the use of Belarus’ territory for launching Russia’s attack against Ukraine in 2022. Interdisciplinary in focus, the chapters are written by experts in their field and offer a nuanced understanding of the country. A key comprehensive reference work on Belarus offering new and updated research on the country, this handbook will be of interest to an interdisciplinary audience, including those studying Central and Eastern Europe, politics and international relations, comparative politics and authoritarianism, social movements and political protest and history and identity. At this pre-emptive book launch five of the authors who are currently based in Sweden will briefly present key insights from their respective chapters related to EU-Belarus relations, opposition, gender politics, nuclear transition and protests.

Sofie Bedford is Associate Professor/Docent in Political Science and a researcher at Institute of Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University.

Victoria Leukavets is a Post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for Baltic and Eastern European Studies, Södertörn University.

Alesia Rudnik, PhD in political science from Karlstad University, and director of the independent Belarusian think tank Center for New Ideas.”

Olga Sasunkevich is Associate Professor/Docent in Gender Studies at the University of Gothenburg.

Andrei Stsiapanau is a senior researcher at Södertörn University, where he works on the project Unfolding Ignalina NPP Archives: Soviet Nuclear Infrastructure in the Baltic States, funded by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies.