Belarus' strong women: A fight for freedom and equality!

Belarus' strong women: A fight for freedom and equality!

Dr. Olga Shparaga, a prominent political philosopher, fled Belarus in 2020 after taking part in political protests. The protests came in the context of the disputed presidential election, which drew massive international attention to the Belarusian government's repressive measures. Shparaga, who was detained for 15 days, made the decision to escape out of fear of being arrested again. Her path took her via Lithuania to Germany and later to Austria. Since the beginning of 2023, she has been a visiting scholar in the Department of Philosophy III at the FernUniversität in Hagen and has set herself the goal of creating conditions that can strengthen democratic participation, especially through her research on feminist activism.

Shparaga has known Professors Thomas Bedorf and Felix Ackermann for many years, who campaigned for a scholarship from the Humboldt Foundation's Philipp Schwartz Initiative, which supports researchers at risk. In addition to her academic work, Shparaga is also a co-founder of the European College of Liberal Arts (ECLAB) in Belarus and played a central role in the feminist group of the Coordination Council, which represents the political opposition in the Svetlana Tikhanovskaya era. In her book “The Revolution Has a Female Face” she examines the role of women in the democracy movement and emphasizes their essential contribution to the political landscape.

Women in Belarusian activism

The protests in Belarus that erupted in August 2020 after the presidential election are unprecedented as a revolutionary movement and will continue until the end of 2020. Particularly noteworthy is the role of women, who came together in solidarity chains and became a driving force in the protests. During this time, not only traditional forms of protest took shape, but also new acts of resistance that were directed against the brutal government power and expressed emotional reactions to the violence against acquaintances. Women's marches quickly became a weekly tradition. Famous figures such as Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Veranika Tsapkala and Maryia Kalesnikava led the movement after male political actors were imprisoned.

Research on women's activism in Belarus highlights that over 50% of women surveyed became active after August 2020 to protest government brutality. Loud laender-analyses.de The pressure and repression from the Belarusian power apparatus meant that many of the existing women's and gender organizations were forced to stop their work or leave the country. Before 2020, these organizations were barely visible compared to government initiatives.

Modern Belarusian feminism

Women's activism in Belarus has evolved with the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022. Numerous activists are now supporting Ukrainians, while at the same time the migration of Belarusian women has increased, especially after the 2020 elections. It is estimated that 40% of activists surveyed lived outside Belarus in 2022. Despite the challenges, especially with the double burden of paid work and activism, it is clear that the courage of many women is not broken.

In her work in Hagen, Shparaga is planning a seminar on the feminist perspective on the social bond, which will also address the connection between gender issues and political engagement. The discussion about the role of women in the resistance continues to be intensive and raises questions about their agency. While some voices in the feminist movement in Belarus are skeptical about whether the protests can actually subvert heteropatriarchal values, it is undeniable that women's mobilization is seen as an essential part of the Belarusian protest movement. Their ability to exert influence in a patriarchal society is viewed as “soft power” that operates within male-dominated structures.

Dr. Olga Shparaga uses her platform to publicize her research results outside of the academic setting and to fight for women's rights. As a result, their work is not only valued in the scientific community, but also has the potential to stimulate broader social discussions about gender, politics and activism in Belarus.