Language, Identity, and Contemporary Belarus
Develop foundational knowledge of Belarusian while exploring the language, history, culture, and contemporary experience of Belarus through intensive study and engagement with Belarusian communities in Poland.
Designed for educators, graduate students, researchers, and others with advanced proficiency in Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish, this two-week program uses existing Slavic language skills as a foundation for rapidly developing familiarity with Belarusian.
With a maximum of 8 participants, the program combines daily language study with lectures, workshops, cultural activities, and conversations with members of Warsaw’s Belarusian community. The middle weekend takes participants on an overnight excursion to the Białystok region and Białowieża Forest to explore the longstanding Belarusian presence along the Polish-Belarusian borderlands.
No prior Belarusian is required. Participants must have at least B2-level proficiency in Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish.
Study Belarus from Poland
Warsaw has become an important center of Belarusian cultural, intellectual, media, and civil society activity outside Belarus. The city is home to writers, journalists, academics, artists, activists, independent media, and cultural organizations, including many who relocated to Poland following the political crisis and repression of 2020.
This makes Warsaw an unusual setting for Belarusian Studies. Participants encounter Belarusian not only as a language of study, but as a language used by a living community navigating questions of identity, culture, politics, memory, and diaspora.
Daily language instruction is paired with lectures and workshops examining Belarusian history and national identity, literature, independent media, contemporary politics, art and music, and the experience of Belarusians in Poland. Meetings, cultural events, and discussions bring participants into direct contact with people engaged in Belarusian cultural and intellectual life today.
Build on Your Slavic Language Skills
This program approaches Belarusian differently from a conventional introductory language course. Participants already possess advanced proficiency in another Slavic language and use that knowledge to develop familiarity with Belarusian quickly.
Daily 90-minute language sessions introduce Belarusian pronunciation, orthography, grammar, and vocabulary while drawing attention to important relationships and differences among Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian, and, where relevant, Polish.
The emphasis is on developing practical access to the language. Participants work with authentic Belarusian materials and develop greater ability to read texts, follow spoken Belarusian, recognize key linguistic features, and communicate at an introductory level.
This approach is particularly useful for educators and researchers who encounter Belarusian-language literary, historical, archival, media, or other source materials and for Slavic specialists seeking to broaden their linguistic range.
All participants begin Belarusian at the introductory level. Individual instruction may be arranged separately for participants seeking more advanced language study.
Belarusian Studies: Historical and Contemporary Context
Belarusian language study provides an entry point into a broader exploration of Belarusian history, culture, identity, and contemporary society.
Lectures, workshops, and discussions examine topics including:
- Belarusian history and the development of national identity
- Belarusian language and its relationship to identity
- Literature and cultural expression
- Belarusian art and music, from folk traditions to contemporary culture
- Independent media and journalism in exile
- The 2020 protests, political repression, and the growth of the diaspora
- Belarus and Russia’s war against Ukraine
- Belarusian communities and organizations in Poland
- Approaches and resources for teaching about Belarus
Participants also meet members of the Belarusian community in Warsaw, providing opportunities to connect academic study with individual experiences and perspectives.
Belarusian Communities in Podlasie
The middle weekend of our Belarusian Studies program is spent in Podlasie, home to a longstanding Belarusian community and a cultural landscape closely connected with both Poland and Belarus.
The weekend introduces a different dimension of Belarusian life in Poland. While Warsaw offers insight into the contemporary diaspora that has expanded significantly since 2020, Podlasie provides opportunities to explore communities whose Belarusian presence in the region extends across generations.
This contrast offers participants a broader perspective on Belarusian identity and culture in Poland, connecting the contemporary diaspora experience in Warsaw with the historical Belarusian presence in northeastern Poland.
Program Details
Selected evenings extend the academic program through cultural activities and informal opportunities to encounter Belarusian language and culture.
Activities may include Belarusian film screenings and discussions, poetry readings, author talks, meetings with musicians and artists, visits to Belarusian cultural organizations and bookshops, and hands-on workshops exploring Belarusian folk traditions and crafts.
A farewell dinner brings the group together around Belarusian food and music at the conclusion of the program.
The schedule also includes free evenings, giving participants time to explore Warsaw independently or pursue their own academic and professional contacts in the city.
Warsaw: Belarusian Studies is designed primarily for educators, graduate students, researchers, and advanced students working in Slavic, Russian and East European, Eurasian, or related fields.
The program may be particularly useful for:
- Educators teaching Belarus, Eastern Europe, or Slavic languages and cultures
- Graduate students and researchers working with Belarusian historical, literary, archival, or contemporary sources
- Specialists in Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, or broader Slavic studies seeking familiarity with Belarusian
- Students preparing for further academic or professional work related to Belarus
Participants must have at least B2 proficiency on the CEFR scale in Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish. Polish speakers must also be comfortable reading Cyrillic.
No previous study of Belarusian is required.
The two-week program combines approximately 15 hours of Belarusian language instruction with 15 hours of lectures and workshops.
On most weekdays, participants attend a 90-minute Belarusian language session followed by a 90-minute lecture, seminar, or workshop. Selected evenings feature cultural programming and meetings.
The small cohort allows for discussion, close interaction with instructors and guest speakers, and flexibility in responding to participants’ academic and professional interests.
Enrollment is limited to 10 participants. Participants who successfully complete the program receive an SRAS Certificate in Belarusian Studies.
Language Study
Belarusian instruction is designed specifically for participants who already have advanced knowledge of Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish.
Rather than following the pace and structure of a traditional beginner language course, instruction makes active use of participants’ existing Slavic language knowledge. Comparative work helps participants recognize Belarusian linguistic patterns and develop reading and listening comprehension more rapidly.
By the end of the program, participants should have greater ability to:
- Read Belarusian Cyrillic confidently
- Recognize major phonological, grammatical, and lexical features of Belarusian
- Understand important similarities and differences among Belarusian and related Slavic languages
- Work with Belarusian literary, historical, archival, and contemporary texts
- Follow Belarusian in a range of spoken contexts
- Use introductory Belarusian in everyday interactions
Partner School
SŁOWIANKA Language School is located in central Warsaw and focuses exclusively on Slavic languages, primarily Belarusian, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Housing in Warsaw is not included in the program fee, allowing participants to choose accommodations that best fit their individual plans and preferences. This also provides flexibility for those wishing to arrive before the program, remain in Poland afterward, or combine the program with additional travel or research.
Warsaw offers a wide range of hotels, apartments, and other short-term accommodations. SRAS can provide guidance on convenient areas of the city and options with easy access to the program site.
Overnight accommodations during the program’s weekend excursion to the Białystok region are included.
The program incorporates Belarusian culture throughout the two weeks rather than separating language study from cultural experience.
Depending on scheduling and availability, activities may include:
- Film screenings and discussions
- Poetry readings and literary events
- Conversations with Belarusian writers, journalists, artists, musicians, and academics
- Visits to Belarusian cultural organizations and bookshops
- Workshops in Belarusian folk music, visual arts, embroidery, or traditional crafts
- Belarusian food and music
Guest speakers and activities may vary from year to year, allowing the program to draw on current cultural and intellectual life within Warsaw’s Belarusian community.
The middle weekend takes participants on an overnight excursion through Podlasie, including Białystok, Hajnówka, and Białowieża Forest.
In Białystok, participants explore the city and its connections to the region’s Belarusian community, with visits that may include cultural institutions, Orthodox churches, and other landmarks. In Hajnówka, the group visits the Museum and Center of Belarusian Culture, providing a closer look at the history, culture, and contemporary life of Belarusians in the region.
The excursion also includes Białowieża Forest, which extends across the Polish-Belarusian border and forms part of the historical and environmental landscape shared by the two countries.
Transportation, overnight accommodations, and scheduled meals and activities during the weekend excursion are included in the program.
Warsaw is one of Central Europe’s major political, cultural, and academic centers and today hosts one of the largest Belarusian communities outside Belarus.
The growth of this community, particularly since 2020, has made Warsaw an important base for Belarusian independent media, cultural organizations, civil society initiatives, writers, artists, academics, and other public figures. Participants can therefore study contemporary Belarus while engaging with people directly involved in its cultural and intellectual life.
At the same time, Warsaw provides access to libraries, museums, cultural institutions, and the broader historical context of Poland and Eastern Europe. Its connections with the Białystok region further allow participants to explore both newer Belarusian diaspora communities and the longstanding Belarusian presence in northeastern Poland.
When completing the short application for this trip, you will pay a $50 non-refundable fee that is applied to the total trip cost. When your participation is confirmed on our end (you will receive an email) a non-refundable deposit of $450 is due within 7 days to hold your space. Full trip payment is due 45 days prior to arrival.
- If we recieve cancellation in writing 20+ days before the program start, 20% of the total trip cost is refundable
- If cancellation occurs less than 20 days before the program start, no refund is guaranteed.
Because we know things happen, if somehow we are able to fill your spot, we will endeavor to refund as much as possible. If you have things going on in your life (or in the life of those around you) that could lead to cancellation, we recommend securing travel insurance.
- Complete our application (click the “Apply now” button at the bottom right of your screen to create your SRAS account – you will be able to return to the application later).
- Alert your home university (if you are currently a student).
See our Getting Started pages for more important information about academics, health and safety, and more.
If you are still unsure this is the right program for you, please join an SRAS INFO session or schedule an SRAS advising session to discuss how we can help fulfill your goals and needs!
