Belarus

This study examines Belarusian history since the ninth century CE. The author analyzes issues surrounding Belarusian society regarding identity, religion, elites, and recent events since 2020 and argues for a Western-oriented identity.

Piotra P. Murzionak is president of the Belarusian Institute of Arts and Sciences, Canada.

Preface Prologue "Was, Worth, Will Be" Maps A Gallery of Prominent Belarusians Whose Contributions Supported Nation-Building PART I. The History of Belarusian Statehood 1.From Ethnos to a Nation (Belarusians in the Ninth to Nineteenth Centuries) 2.Belarusian Statehood in the Twentieth Century PART II. The Place of Belarusians Among Civilizations 3.Belarusian-Ukrainian/Western-Ruthenian Civilization 4.Belarusians and Ukrainians Belong to Western Civilization PART III. Characteristics of the Modern Belarusian Nation 5.The Conditions for Nation-building in Belarus in the Twentieth Century 6.General Information about Modern Belarus 7.National Identity and Language 8.The Mentality of Belarusian Society (Belarusianess) 9.Church and Nation PART IV. Belarus: In Search of Its Own Way 10.Theoretical Models of the Belarusian National State Construction 11.Under the "Patronage of Russia" 12."Belarus to