At engagement’s edge: heritage experts and Holocaust education in Belarus

Abstract

Using semi-structured interview methodology and qualitative ‘thick description’, original interviews were recorded with heritage experts who educate about and engage the public with Holocaust history in Belarus. Significantly, the interviews explored grassroots realities and gave voice to practitioners at risk of marginalization in Belarus’s repressive cultural politics. Rigorously analyzing these research interviews within the context of regionally relevant academic literature and an online international workshop (2021), an original interpretation is offered. Namely, that Belarus has historically shifted from an opportune moment regarding Holocaust engagement and education to being ‘at engagement’s edge’ following the August 2020 elections and Ukraine conflict (2022).