1. METHODOLOGY
This research project will be analyzing documents in the form of
social media feeds, and evaluating them individually and
unobtrusively in order to collect information about the existence
of revolutionary civil society on Twitter. This project will
necessitate a flexible research design, and will inductive in
nature, as much of the research process and theory will be
determined in the process of data collection and analysis. In this
research, I adopt an interpretive epistemological worldview, and
analyze how civil society constructs and fosters identity through
social media. It will be necessary to use snowball sampling in for
this research, as the community is hypothesized to be
interconnected. I will search specific terms such as “democracy in
Belarus” and phrases related to being anti-Lukashenka (current
president), pro-West, or nationalist in nature. I will analyze the
network through the individuals, groups, locations, and purposes
of these feeds.
Challenging Identities:
Belarusian Civil Society on Twitter
ABSTRACT
This research project aims to provide an understanding of the
Belarusian community of resistance that exists on Twitter. Post-
Soviet Union Belarus is a nation known predominantly for its
pro-Russian identity and policy, and resistance to this has often
been met with violence. Because of this, there is little obvious
civil society operation within Belarus. I hypothesize, however,
that an opposition to the dominant pro-Russian identity does
exist online. Through an analysis of Twitter data and users, this
research explores the online community that is pushing against
the current State system through activism, democracy, and in
breaking the status quo.
INTRODUCTION
In the two decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union,
Eastern European countries have faced major challenges in not only
reorganizing themselves politically and economically, but also in
reestablishing their identities in the aftermath of their Soviet past.
Belarus remains the lone totalitarian regime in Europe, clinging on to
a Soviet nostalgia by adopting a national identity heavily influenced
by Russia, which is fostered by the Belarusian State. Despite the
minimal space in Belarus for civil society to function and to challenge
the status quo, it would seem that an opposition to the dominant
pro-Russian identity exists on the fringes of society. In my research, I
will ask: How has the hegemonic pro-Russian identity of Belarus been
challenged through the functioning of civil society on Twitter? This
research will be conducted through an examination of the
community of resistance that exists on Twitter, and will rely on the
content of Tweets and in the analysis of different individuals and
groups pushing for the re-imagining of the Belarusian national
identity.
Oksana Anderson, oanders2@gmu.edu
School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
RESULTS
While this research is still in progress, thus far I have found a great
deal of Belarusian civil society actors using Twitter as a means to
inform and collect. The community exists both within and without
Belarus, and a great deal of the content is in Belarusian. The most
outspoken and prominent actors are organizations, and the
support for Andrei Sannikov, a pro-Europe presidential candidate
in 2010 who was jailed for peaceful protest, seems to be a point of
major solidarity for this community.
DISCUSSION
At this point in the research, it would seem that the initial
hypothesis, that a Belarusian civil society does exist and function
on Twitter, is true. The effect of this civil society on the larger
Belarusian identity is proving more difficult to conclude, yet
alludes to a more dynamic community of resistance than might
be assumed without this analysis. The use of the Belarusian
language as the primary language of the Twitter feeds correlates
with more nationalist and individualist sentiment. Further
research can be done to understand how the Belarusian State
uses Twitter to gain popularity and legitimacy, and how pro-
Russian identity might be spread through the same platform.
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