Astapova, Anastasiya Negotiating Belarusianness: Political Folklore Betwixt and Between (review)

Abstract

SEER, 94, 4, October 2016 772 sense-memories and human interactions. It is both engaging and highly readable, and despite the odd typo and an incorrect date it is an extremely valuable addition to the growing body of literature on everyday life in the GDR, and will appeal to those interested not only in GDR history, but also in urban studies, geography, memory studies and sociology. While it might have been interesting to investigate the post-Wende period in more detail, such an endeavour doubtless warrants a study of its own. Although Marzahn may currently be seen as a place with no past and no future, there remains much to learn from its study in the present. School of Modern Languages and Cultures A. Saunders Bangor University Astapova, Anastasiya. Negotiating Belarusianness: Political Folklore Betwixt and Between. Dissertationes Folkloristicae Universitatis Tartuensis, 22. University of Tartu Press, Tartu, 2015. 214 pp. Illustrations. Tables. Notes. Bibliographies. Price unknown. Political folklore in Belarus flourishes, despite the country’s reputation for apathy or, at least, passivity. Anastasiya Astapova’s thoroughly annotated dissertation offers the fullest analysis and illustration of this phenomenon to date. Its basic form is an extended introduction to the subject, including the work’s somewhat enigmatic title, followed by five of the author’s articles. The Introduction consists of: ‘Belarusian history and a rationale of current political situation’; ‘Representing Belarus: stereotypes, questions and challenges’; Theoretical framework and main concepts’; ‘Sources and methodology of this research’; and ‘The articles in brief and the main ideas described therein’. The English is at times less than authentic, and another minor problem is inherent to the dissertation’s format, namely the pagination, which makes direct reference to the work complex indeed: throughout the Introduction, References and Publications, as well as the first article, the pages are numbered consecutively 1–91; articles 2–5, however, are numbered individually, and the general pagination only resumes with ‘Summary in Estonian’ (p. 206). These small difficulties, however, pale beside the very thorough, well informed and illustrated research of a professional folklorist whose material, beyond the theory, is mainly derived from interviews with Belarusians inside and outside the country. Astapova has assembled some excellent verbal and visual illustrations to accompany her work. The first article, ‘Why all dictators have moustaches: Political jokes in contemporary Belarus’, for instance, has a picture of Hitler, Stalin and Lukashenka in profile over the heading ‘They Fought for Belarus’. REVIEWS 773 Manyofthejokesareofagenerickindrelatingtodictators,nationalstereotypes, limited intelligence and other staple topics, although the frequently inept sayings of the Leader himself appear highly amusing to many of the people interviewed. In article two, ‘Political biography: Incoherence, contestation, and the hero pattern in the Belarusian case’, small changes in the Leader’s date of birth make several of Astapova’s interviewees think of other plenipotentiaries’ tendency to alter the calendar at will. Hero patterns are graphically illustrated by two photographs of Lukashenka and Putin, each standing up to their waists in fields of corn. Beyond entertainment, the article gives seriously detailed attention to the origins, official and unofficial, of the Belarusian leader (nicknamed Baćka [Dad]), including national and racial features; for example, one picture shows a little boy holding up a placard: ‘A gypsy is no dad to me’. Article three, ‘When the president comes: Potemkin order as an alternative to democracyinBelarus’,describesafarfromexclusivelyBelarusianphenomenon in some of its most absurd manifestations, as the Leader regularly rides around his beleaguered country. As elsewhere in Astapova’s work, the academic narrative is lightened by stories told by the people she speaks to. The fourth article, ‘In search for truth: Surveillance rumors and vernacular panopticon in Belarus’, is introduced by a detailed theoretical introduction, before turning to rumoured and in many cases real instances of state surveillance. Belarus’s very high level of army personnel per capita (higher than Russia, for instance) and a large militia, as well as considerable mystery surrounding the command structure, all help to fuel fears that there may be a constant and omnipotent big brother. One cartoon shows Lukashenka behind a desk marked ‘Boss’ in the middle of a prison camp the shape of Belarus. Also discussed in this article are more than one terror attack, where the...