The International Congress of Belarusian Studies is an annual academic event usually held in Kaunas. One of the most important tasks of the Congress is to prompt effective integration of researches and experts in political, social and humanitarian sciences. The Congress contributes to the better understanding of Belarus in academic and public spheres in the regional and the world contexts.

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The Congress is the only place in the world, where the most representative numbers of Belarusian academic and social elites can, freely and independently from the influences of the Belarusian as well as other States, discuss history, politics, society and culture of Belarus since 2011.

 

The initiators and the main organizers of the Congress are the Institute of Political Studies “Political Sphere" and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Institute. Various Belarusian, Lithuanian, Polish as well as the organizations from other countries join the organizing committee depending on a situation: Vytautas Magnus University, European Humanities University, Vilnius University, Warsaw University, Colegium Civitas (Warsaw), Naša niva, Minsk Dialogue, Lithuanian Institute of History and others. The Congress has been supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, The German Marshall Fund, Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others.

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There are participating in the Congresses 200-700 scholars, journalists, public figures, students not only from Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine but also from other European states as well as North American and other countries. In 2011 there were 200 participants, in 2012, 2013 and 2014 approximately 350-400, whereas in the later Congresses up to 600-700 participants.

 

This is a scientific event addressed not only to academic but also to a broader public. There are being discussed in the Congresses topics from different fields: political sciences, sociology, history, religion, philology and other. The work of the Congress is organized in two ways: narrow scientific sections on the one hand, and public discussions as well as cultural events on the other.

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