Беларуская культура як элемент беларускай ідэнтыфікацыі імігрантаў у Аргенціне
Belarusian culture as an element of Belarusian identification among immigrants in Argentina

Author(s): Sergej Shabeltsev
Subject(s): Cultural history, Security and defense, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Belarusian immigrants in Argentina; Belarusian diaspora; Belarusian identification; Belarusian culture; pro-Soviet organizations in Buenos Aires
Summary/Abstract: This article is devoted to the Belarusian immigrants in Argentina and the study of their ethnic and national identification. Until 1991 Belarusians in Argentina were a numerically small ethnic group, which due to the absence of an independent Belarusian state was not noticeable to the Argentinians. The elements of Belarusian culture kept up by immigrants (such as language, traditions, songs, dances, cuisine and folk costumes) are highlighted and described. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the development of the Belarusian language among immigrants and their descendants. The cultural characteristics of immigrants from the Belarusian Polesie (Palesse) are also identified. The article summarizes the practical experience in the development of Belarusian culture in pro-Soviet organizations of immigrants, their use of both folklore and the work of Soviet cultural figures (writers, composers). The influence of the BSSR and its institutions on Belarusians in Argentina is discussed. The educational activities of the members of the Association of Belarusians in Argentina as well as the participation of the immigrants’ descendants in ethnic festivals in the states of Buenos Aires and Misiones are noted. The factors that currently allow for the preserving of Belarusian culture in the former clubs of Soviet citizens are pointed out. The author concludes that culture is an important element of the Belarusian identification of immigrants and their descendants in Argentina.

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