Between Longing and Belonging: Constructions of Home and Identity amongst Belarusian Activists in Exile

How do political emigrants construct new ideas of home and belonging outside of their homeland? Which role does transnational political participation play in this process? This paper explores how senses of identity, belonging, and mobility are interlinked in the context of political emigration and transnational activism. Drawing on scholarly investigations of belonging, mobility, and liminality, this paper examines emigration trajectories of Belarusian political activists who left Belarus since the electoral protests of 2020. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with Belarusian pro-democratic activists living in exile in Europe, this paper suggests that participation in transnational activism produce conflicting feelings of belonging. On the one hand, participation in pro-democratic activism targeted at Belarus contributes to a sense of belonging to a community, which transcends borders. In this way, activism in exile acts as a crucial marker of identity amongst the informants of the study. On the other hand, the emigrants’ participation in transnational activism contributes to a feeling of existing in a liminal space. Finally, the findings suggest that cross-border cooperation with European institutions and civil society plays an important role in these processes