| ID | 187296 |
| Title Proper | From Demobilisation to Civic Engagement |
| Other Title Information | the Post-2014 Remodelling of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Silvan, Kristiina ; Nizhnikau, Ryhor |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | What tools do authoritarian regimes possess for responding to new political and socio-economic threats? This essay presents a case study of the 2014–2019 reorganisation of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (Bielaruski respublikanski sayuz moladzi—BRYU), a government-controlled administrative mass organisation. It shows that, in the spirit of the regime's paradigm shift in domestic policy towards ‘soft Belarusianisation’ and participatory authoritarianism, the BRYU became a mobilisation tool, instrumentalised for popularising a Belarusian cultural revival and endorsing local civic activism. Paradoxically, these new functions unharnessed young people's agency within the BRYU in a way that would backfire, for instance, during the Belarusian crisis of 2020. |
| `In' analytical Note | Europe-Asia Studies Vol. 74, No.7; Sep 2022: p.1210-1230 |
| Journal Source | Europe-Asia Studies Vol: 74 No 7 |
| Key Words | Civic Engagement ; Post-2014 Remodelling ; Belarusian Republican Youth Union |