Nation-building and presidential rhetoric in Belarus

In: Journal of language and politics, Band 15, Heft 6, S. 727-747

Abstract

AbstractThis paper studies the Belarusian nation as envisioned by the president in his political speeches delivered on the country's Independence Day. The theoretical framework of the paper rests upon an understanding of the discursive construction of national identity. This analysis of the presidential speeches utilizes principles of the Discourse Historical Approach (DHA). As a special genre of texts, political speeches aim to offer normative guidance and a sense of societal consensus to the public. The paper reveals that in the construction of a national community in Belarus, the presidential speeches ambiguously refer to historical memory, socio-economic development, the political system and the country's foreign relations.