A LANGUAGE AS A DETERMINANT OF NATIONAL IDENTITY: THE UNUSUAL CASE OF BELARUS.

The nature of national identity has been of significant academic interest in the post- Cold war era. In East Europe, the vast majority of the academic literature indicates that language is the key element that defines most nations. However, one particular case appears to deviate from this formula; in Belarus, the Belarusian language has not necessarily formed the basis of Belarusian national identity. This paper examines the nature of Belarusian identity by making use of the extensive literatures on sources of national identity, national language choice, and diglossia. A brief history of national identity development in Belarus and its diaspora, plus data derived from a number of surveys conducted in Belarus from 2009-2010 demonstrate the complicated relationship between the Belarusian language and the identity currently held by Belarusians in the homeland and abroad. While language is meaningful to Belarusians, particularly those in the diaspora, it is not the key element that defines Belarusian identity today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]