Belarus as viewed by Belarusian students

Abstract

The article is an analysis of fifteen interviews with students of the Belarusian National Technical University, recorded in December, 2010. The main focus of the interviews was the students’ attitude to the Belarusian and Russian languages, as well as the transmission of historical memory in the Belarusian family, but it was revealed that the interviews contain interesting information about the informants’ perception of the current political, economic, social and cultural situation in Belarus, how they see the country’s past and its future. The article deals with such aspects as the basic elements of the concept of „Belarus” and the perceptions of Belarusian history, understanding of today’s economic and political situation, future predictions, the idea of a European Belarus, and the attitude to national symbols.