ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses attitudes towards Belarusan nationhood. It serves to underline the perceptual legacy that affects world views of Belarus, the reasons for that legacy, as well as resulting responses in academic discourse. As a kind of national anliphonal, "Zyvie Bielarus!" signals the discrepancy between national sentiments and perceptions of Belarusan nationhood found in academic discourse and media sources. The most controversial and debated issues in the study of Belarus include a disregard of its distinct cultural and national identity, and are complicated by the fact that readings on the history of Belarus, as with any history, vary according to the placement of the historian. European and American print media sources provide some of the most telling examples of the diverse interpretations of Belarusan identity and the post-Soviet process. This media represents one of the few resources that inform Western audiences about other cultural and political contexts.
