The article examines the concepts of “national” and “ethnic” in Belarusian public discourse. It defines Belarusian national identity through the lens of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model and proposes the national idea as a shared vision for the nation’s evolution. The article argues that the only hallmark of a mature nation, and the true source of its independence, is its ability to achieve prosperity. The article proposes a method for formulating a national idea based on the historical example of the United States of America (The Federalist Papers) and encourages the continuation of national dialogue from a standpoint of rational analysis rather than an emotional appeal to ethnic identity.
Angelika Miroshnichenko (Wed,) studied this question.