The Journal of Belarusian Studies
An English-language academic journal devoted to the history, culture, politics, language and society of Belarus.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Journal of Belarusian Studies is an English-language scholarly periodical focused on Belarus and the Belarusian diaspora. It began as The Journal of Byelorussian Studies in 1965, an initiative associated with the Anglo-Belarusian Society in the United Kingdom. The project was developed to make information about Belarus and Belarusians more available to readers in the Western world and was supported financially by the Belarusian Charitable Trust, established under the auspices of the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain. Guy Picarda and Auberon Herbert were among the principal figures behind its creation. The original journal combined academic articles with book reviews and a chronicle of important developments affecting Belarus and Belarusian communities abroad. Its subject matter included Belarusian history, geography, language and literature, and it also published English translations of Belarusian literary works and poetry. Robert Auty, an Oxford professor, contributed the introduction to the first issue, while early contributors included Alexander Nadson, Guy Picarda, Leo Haroška and Vera Rich. During its first period, the editorial policy intentionally limited discussion of current affairs in order to preserve an academic focus and avoid a directly political framing. Twenty issues appeared between 1966 and 1988 after the inaugural publication. Circulation generally ranged from approximately 500 to 800 copies per issue, with distribution to universities and libraries in Britain and other countries, including the Soviet Union. Important twentieth-century editors included Arnold McMillin, Jim Dingley and Peter John Mayo. Publication of the original series ended in 1988. In 1997, Picarda revived a related publication, Belarusian Chronicle, which carried a periodic record of Belarusian events and occasional scholarly material for roughly a decade, until his death. The journal returned in May 2013 after a twenty-five-year interruption. The relaunch brought together people connected with the earlier publication and a younger generation of Belarusian scholars. Yaraslau Kryvoi became editor, and the revived journal was intended as a platform for cooperation between Belarusian and Western academics. Its scope expanded beyond the earlier emphasis on historical and cultural scholarship to include social and political analysis, while retaining book reviews, reviews of online resources and a chronicle of Anglo-Belarusian Society activities. The first renewed issue included work on memory politics in Belarus, Belarusian foreign policy and the poetry of Belarusian prisoners. The modern publication has drawn contributors from Belarus, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Canada, the United States, Hungary and Russia. Two issues published in 2013 and 2014 included Belarusian-language material. The journal is published by the Ostrogorski Centre jointly with Brill Publishers and is distributed annually to academic institutions, libraries and private subscribers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Belarus and other countries. Its positioning combines specialist Belarusian studies with an international scholarly readership and a continuing connection to Belarusian civic and diaspora institutions.
History
The Journal of Belarusian Studies originated in the United Kingdom within the wider work of the Anglo-Belarusian Society. Since the Society was founded in 1954, its members had considered creating an English-language periodical that could present Belarusian history and culture to Western readers and preserve a channel of information about Belarusian communities outside the Soviet Union. By 1965, the Society had secured both academic contributors and financial backing from the Belarusian Charitable Trust, operating under the auspices of the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain. Guy Picarda and Auberon Herbert were central to the project. The first issue appeared under the title The Journal of Byelorussian Studies. Its opening contribution came from Robert Auty of Oxford, and the issue contained articles by Alexander Nadson, Guy Picarda, Leo Haroška and Vera Rich, together with a book review and a chronicle of significant Belarus-related events. The publication established a format that was maintained through its initial run: scholarly research was accompanied by reviews, literary and documentary material, and information about Belarusian life abroad. The journal covered language, literature, history and geography, and published English translations of Belarusian poetry and other writing, including work associated with Jan Czeczot. The early editors sought to distinguish the journal from a political newsletter. Current affairs were deliberately treated cautiously so that the publication could concentrate on academic study and avoid being defined by immediate political disputes. Between 1966 and 1988, twenty further issues were published. Circulation was generally between 500 and 800 copies per issue, and copies reached universities and libraries in the United Kingdom, other countries and the Soviet Union. Arnold McMillin edited the journal from 1967 to 1971, followed by Jim Dingley from 1972 to 1980 and Peter John Mayo from 1980 to 1988. The original series ended in 1988. A related continuation emerged in 1997 when Guy Picarda began publishing Belarusian Chronicle. This periodical concentrated on a record of Belarusian events and occasionally included Belarusian-studies articles. Although it was regarded as valuable as an information source, it did not have the same academic character as the earlier journal. Belarusian Chronicle continued for approximately a decade and ended after Picarda's death. The journal itself was revived in May 2013 following a twenty-five-year gap. The relaunch combined experience from participants in the earlier series with a new generation of Belarusian scholars. Yaraslau Kryvoi became editor, and the publication was presented as a meeting place for Belarusian and Western researchers. The renewed journal broadened its coverage to include social and political subjects and no longer maintained the earlier avoidance of contemporary affairs. At the same time, it preserved the established scholarly apparatus of book reviews, internet-resource reviews and a chronicle relating to the Anglo-Belarusian Society. The first issue of the renewed series included research on memory politics in Belarus, Belarusian foreign policy and poetry written by Belarusian prisoners. Contributors have included scholars from Belarus, Britain, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Canada, the United States, Hungary and Russia. The 2013 and 2014 issues also contained Belarusian-language material. In its current form, the journal is published by the Ostrogorski Centre jointly with Brill Publishers and distributed annually to universities, libraries and private subscribers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Belarus and other countries. Its long history, specialist scope and international distribution make it a continuing platform for research on Belarus and Belarusian communities.
- 2014
Belarusian-language content continues in early renewed issues
[1]The 2013 and 2014 issues of the relaunched publication included articles or material in Belarusian.
- 2013
Journal is relaunched
[1]The publication returns after a twenty-five-year break under the name The Journal of Belarusian Studies, with Yaraslau Kryvoi as editor.
- 1997
Belarusian Chronicle begins
[1]Guy Picarda starts a related periodical focused on Belarusian events, with occasional scholarly content.
- 1988
Original publication series ends
[1]After the inaugural issue and twenty subsequent issues, production of the original journal ceases.
- 1965
First issue is published
[1]The Journal of Byelorussian Studies begins publication with support from Belarusian charitable and diaspora institutions.
- 1954
Anglo-Belarusian Society is established
[1]The Society's work created the institutional setting in which an English-language Belarusian-studies journal was later proposed.
Products and positioning
A specialist, internationally distributed academic journal serving Belarusian studies and related humanities and social-science research, with links to the Anglo-Belarusian scholarly and diaspora communities.
Academic journal · 1965
The Journal of Belarusian Studies
The journal's principal offering is an annually distributed scholarly publication devoted to Belarusian studies. It publishes research on Belarusian history, geography, language, literature, politics and society, alongside book reviews, reviews of internet resources and a chronicle connected with the Anglo-Belarusian Society. The post-2013 series has a broader social and political scope than the original publication and includes contributors from Belarus and a wide range of European and North American countries.
Related periodical · 1997
Belarusian Chronicle
Belarusian Chronicle was a related publication started by Guy Picarda in 1997 after the original journal had ceased publication. It primarily recorded contemporary Belarusian events and occasionally carried articles in Belarusian studies. It was considered informative and historically useful, although its academic profile was described as less substantial than that of The Journal of Byelorussian Studies. The periodical continued for approximately ten years.
Brand decisions
2013
Relaunch with a broader academic and contemporary scopeStrategyBackground
The original journal had stopped publishing in 1988, while the Belarusian-studies field continued to require an English-language platform connecting Belarusian and Western scholars.
Action taken
A new working group revived the publication in May 2013, retained the scholarly and review-oriented format, and expanded coverage to social and political topics and current affairs.
Aftermath
The relaunched journal attracted contributors from multiple countries and continued annual distribution through the Ostrogorski Centre and Brill Publishers.
2013
Publication partnership with Brill PublishersProduct launchBackground
The revived journal sought a sustainable international publishing and distribution arrangement.
Action taken
The Ostrogorski Centre began publishing the journal jointly with Brill Publishers.
Aftermath
The journal continued to reach universities, libraries and private subscribers in the United Kingdom, the United States, Belarus and other countries.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-journal-of-byelorussian-studies · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled