This research examines the multi-vectored nature of Belarusian foreign policy since 1996 when Alexander Lukashenka solidified his regime in Belarus until today. The trends in Belarusian foreign policy are analyzed through the scope of interdependency and its intricate interplay with Belarusian national identity, or in other words, how President Lukashenka understands and interprets the Belarusian people. Since the early 2000s, it appeared that Belarus changed its foreign policy in an attempt to become less dependent on Russia and more open to working with new partners. Officially, Lukashenka has consistently maintained a multi-vector approach to Belarusian foreign policy and also in practice, despite intermittent speculation that Belarus might drastically change the dynamics of its foreign policy. Decreasing dependence is not motivation enough to completely alter perceived stability and a reluctance for change among the Belarusian people. Lukashenka uses the flexibility of his foreign policy to try to extract some benefits from global partners; however, the status quo of Lukashenka's foreign policies continues to remain intact. Keywords Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenka, Multi-vector, multipolar, foreign policy, interdependence, national identity, dependence

Title: National identity and assimilation in relation to the social environment in Plovdiv (18th - 19th century) Abstract: The dissertation presented here arises from the perception of national identity being a kind of collective identity, which is designated by state (political) as well as non-state (cultural) nation-constituting symbols. I have tried to examine the permanence, stability and objectivity of these symbols in relation to the social environment in Plovdiv during the process of national awakening as part of Bulgarian national movement (18th - 19th century). During this period the central position in Plovdiv's social environment was held by a numerous group of people so-called Graecomen. Graecomen voluntarily renounced their Bulgarian-origin identity and exchanged it for a Greek identity. The origins of Graecomania may be found in the long-term cultural and economical co-existence of the Bulgarians and the Greeks. Since the Middle Ages there was a stable Greek community in Plovdiv, which dominated significantly the social climate. This dominance became the key motivating factor for the spread of Graecomen as Bulgarian burgers tried through the means of a favourable marriage to infiltrate the Greek community and in this way to achieve a higher social status. The highest level of intensity of...

The master thesis "The creation and reproduction of historical consciousness on the example of the association Radecký Praha" deals with the historical consciousness, its creation and reproduction. The theoretical part defines not only historical consciousness but also pays attention to the related issues, such as collective memory, historical memory, sites of memory, or national identity, due to the fact that the boundaries between collective memory and historical consciousness are often at least unclear. Theoretical part is primarily based on the works of Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assmann, Miroslav Hroch and Pierre Nora. The empirical part of this study concludes the research of the association Radetzky Prague, which seeks to return the monument of Marshal Radetzky on the Malostranské náměstí. The research tries to describe and understand the ways of creation and reproduction of historical consciousness of its members throughout the analysis of qualitative interviews. Mentioned authors already provide a certain methodological background research. Conclusion contains a summary and a comparison of research results with theses of authors that are dealing with similar themes. This work is not a purely historical or sociological one; it is trying to stay somewhere between historical and sociological...

The doctoral thesis deals with comparative analysis of historical examples in the search for national identity in texts of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937) and Roman Dmowski (1864-1939). Both Masaryk and Dmowski belonged to prominent representatives of public and political life in their countries at the end of the 19th and in first decades of the 20th centuries. The question of national identity is a theme often associates with their life and work. Masaryk and Dmowski influenced Czech and Polish politics, political and intellectual thought before 1914. During the First World War, they were leaders of Czechoslovak and Polish politics in West European emigration (Masaryk as the president of the Czechoslovak National Committee, Dmowski as the president of the Polish National Committee). Nevertheless, in the postwar period, their career diverged. Masaryk became president of Czechoslovakia and symbol of the Czechoslovak identity, Dmowski represented rather the opposition against mainstream development in postwar Poland. The first and the second parts of the thesis deal with Masaryk's (first part) and Dmowski's (second part) concept of historical examples in search of national identity in context of their thought and life. Therefore, these parts are organized chronologically and pay attention to...

In 1776, war broke out in the Colonies of New England between British Subjects, colonists, and those emplyed by the crown to uphoald law and order across the Atlantic. The union that wuld emerge from the war would have to develop what the colnial powers they migrated from had been adding on for centuries: an understanding of national character. The colonists occupied territory to which they had no historical inheritance before European colonization, and their customs, language, and societal structure were of British origin. However, the decleration of indpendence testifies that the United States were an exceptional republic amongst monarcies.  Providing ideas, and a popular elaboration of society has been the task of many artists at any time and place. Our different perceptions of nationhood might discard of accept such visual interpretations, but they are nonetheless subjected reflections of of selected realities. As such, political cartoons, the source material for this thesis, can provide a detailed view of the particular process of picturing national identity, for a new nation that rescently had existed within the bounduries of their own empire.

The main aim of the master thesis titled "Nation-Building in Iraq after 2003" is to evaluate the success of nation-building processes in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. The analytical approach of the German political scientist Jochen Hippler serves as a theoretical and terminological starting point. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter deals with the general and conceptional problems and of the terms "nation" and "nation-building". This is followed by a brief overview of Iraqi history. The next part is devoted to Hippler's three central elements of successful nation-building applied to the Iraqi context (i.e. integrating ideology, national integration and state-building). The third chapter explores whether ethnosectarian identities are subordinate to Iraqi national identity. The forth chapter is focused on Kurdish- Iraq relations and its potential implications for territorial (and economic) cohesion of Iraq and the following chapter deals with capabilities of the state apparatus concerning governance, providing security and delivering basic services. In conclusion, the level of success is summarized in the three dimensions respectively as well as with regad to overall nation- building process in Iraq.

La memoria dentro del documental te permite transitar entre el pasado y el presente, sirve como ejercicio de resignación nacional, te permite ver hacia atrás y tomar conciencia del ahora. El presente tema de investigación tiene como objetivo principal exponer sobre la construcción de memoria entorno a la narrativa del documental Cuba and the Cameraman. Jon Alpert grabó durante más de cuarenta años, empezando desde la euforia de los subsidios soviéticos, el conflicto de la inmigración hasta el boom del turismo. Este archivo documental sirve como fuente de registro no solo individual sino para prevalecer una memoria colectiva. La metodología de este tema de investigación busca realizar un análisis de paradigma interpretativo con enfoque cualitativo, así mismo, se propone el diseño de estudio de caso, la técnica es el análisis de contenido, para ello se visionará el documental y se aplicará una guía de análisis de contenido a veinticuatro escenas. Se analizará el contexto en la historia como evocador de memoria, los principales acontecimientos de la estructura narrativa, construcción de personajes y punto de vista del autor a partir del documental. / The memory within the documentary allows you to move between the past and the present, it serves as an exercise in national resignation, it allows you to look back and become aware of the now. The main objective of this research topic is to expose on the construction of memory around the narrative of the documentary Cuba and the Cameraman. Jon Alpert recorded for more than forty years, starting from the euphoria of Soviet subsidies, the inmigration conflict to the tourism boom. The documentary archive serves as a source of record not only for the individual but also for a collective memory to prevail. The methodology of this research topic seeks to carry out an interpretive paradigm analysis with a qualitative approach, likewise, the case study design is proposed, the technique is content analysis, for this the documentary will be viewed and a guide will be applied content analysis to twenty-four scenes. The context in the story will be analyzed as an evocative of memory, the main events of the narrative structure, character construction and the author’s point of view from the documentary. / Trabajo de investigación

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Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la construcción de la iconografía en las monedas de la serie numismática Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú y el rol que ejerce en el discurso de la identidad nacional. Se parte de la hipótesis de que la iconografía presente en las monedas de dicha serie construye una narrativa de herencia nacional a través de la síntesis gráfica de patrimonios culturales que representan hitos históricos de los departamentos del territorio peruano. La investigación se centró en el estudio cualitativo de diez monedas de la serie numismática bajo la aplicación de una segmentación temática, delimitación temporal y geográfica para abarcar mayor diversidad en la selección. Además, los resultados obtenidos en el análisis visual se contrastaron con las entrevistas realizadas a informantes claves. Los principales resultados indican que la iconografía presente en las monedas de la serie numismática Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú se ve aplicada mediante el uso de líneas geométricas y orgánicas para representar un alto grado de iconicidad que se aproxime a los patrimonios culturales. Asimismo, las monedas apelan a la representación de hitos históricos que, en su mayoría, recurren a la construcción de una narrativa acerca de las civilizaciones del Antiguo Perú para perpetuar la historia peruana. Por lo tanto, se concluye que la iconografía presente en las monedas de la serie numismática Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú construye una narrativa homogénea del discurso de identidad nacional apelando, en su mayoría, a la herencia cultural del Antiguo Perú. / This research aims to analyze the construction of the iconography in the coins of the numismatic series Riqueza y Orgullo del Peru and the role it plays in the discourse of national identity. It is based on the hypothesis that the iconography present in the coins of this series builds a narrative of national heritage through the graphic synthesis of cultural heritages that represent historical landmarks of the departments of the Peruvian territory. The research focused on the qualitative study of ten coins of the numismatic series under the application of a thematic segmentation, temporal and geographic delimitation to cover greater diversity on the selection. In addition, the results obtained in the visual analysis were contrasted with the interviews carried out with key informants. The main results indicate that the iconography present in the coins of the numismatic series Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú is applied through the use of geometric and organic lines to represent a high degree of iconicity that approximates cultural heritages. Also, the coins appeal to the representation of historical milestones that, for the most part, resort to the construction of a narrative about the civilizations of Antiguo Peru to prevail Peruvian history. Therefore, it is concluded that the iconography present in the coins of the numismatic series Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú constructs a homogeneous narrative of the national identity discourse, appealing, for the most part, to the cultural heritage of Antiguo Peru. / Trabajo de investigación

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