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Discursive construction of Lithuania's “others:” the case of Belarus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Eglė Kesylytė-Alliks
Eglė Kesylytė-Alliks*
Affiliation:
Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
*
∗Email: egle.kesylyte-alliks@ilos.uio.no
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Abstract

This article analyzes discursive representations of Lithuania and of Belarus as Lithuania's “Other” in the context of the recent political crisis in Ukraine. Focusing on the media discourse of Lithuanian intellectuals regarding the historical Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) and its legacy, it examines how Belarus and its role vis-à-vis Lithuania have been depicted. The analysis is informed by the discourse-historical approach within critical discourse analysis, using thematic content and argumentation schemes for studying the images ascribed to the GDL, Belarus, and Lithuania in the selected texts. Focus in the discourse of intellectuals on the GDL as a historical homeland is found to shift from history as a scholarly endeavor to the politics of history and the uses of the past in today's political projects. Belarus and the GDL emerge as topics not only historically and politically salient but also potentially dangerous for Lithuania within the setting of the events in Ukraine.

Keywords

national identitydiscourse analysisLithuaniaBelarusGrand Duchy of LithuaniaUkraine crisis
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 80 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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