Depoliticised City: Post-Pandemic and Post-Protest Minsk of the 2020s

Over the past three decades, Minsk and its populace have encountered cycles of political mobilisation and repressive 'normalisation', intermittent liberty and pronounced increases in authoritative oversight. After navigating through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored the vulnerabilities and limited efficacy of authoritarian governance, the city confronted a new obstacle in the form of the largest anti-authoritarian protests in modern Belarusian history, subsequently suppressed in 2020.

This lecture aims to explore the developments within the city over the last three years, encompassing persistent repressions, the substantial emigration of skilled professionals, the dismantling of the independent cultural scene, and the attenuation of civic initiatives. These factors collectively contribute to shaping a distinctive backdrop for everyday life in the city. The conversation will guide the public through the nuances of daily life, visual transformations of urban space and "places of memory," alongside an analysis of authoritarian mechanisms exercising panoptic control over citizens.