Belarus in Autoethnographic Narratives

The Art of Mercy Against Oblivion

Victor Martinovich

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Hardback

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English

Routledge
19 August 2025

The Arts: General & Reference; Research methods: general; European history; Social & cultural anthropology

This book offers an autoethnographic exploration of the interplay of art, memory, and resilience in Eastern Europe, weaving together the personal and collective histories of Belarusians – those who survived two World Wars and their contemporaries, who are now looking for a way out of a political crisis in the region.

Set against the history of Belarus, it recounts the story of the author’s greatgrandfather Amyalyan, a Belarusian peasant executed by the Nazis after saving a Jewish man during World War II, along with reflections on artists like Chaïm Soutine and Marc Chagall, whose journeys reflect the region’s cultural endurance. Combining autoethnography and art history, this book presents art as a medium of empathy, challenging readers to engage with paintings emotionally rather than through a purely analytical lens. Each chapter functions as both a historical reflection and an invitation to see art as a means of reclaiming personal narratives, making historical traumas accessible and relatable. Themes of compassion, forgiveness, and the humanizing power of art emerge as essential elements, guiding readers through the complex intersections of personal and collective memory.

This book is a valuable addition for researchers and students interested in ethnography and autoethnography, Eastern European studies, art history, cultural studies, and memory studies.

By: Victor Martinovich
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 560g
ISBN: 9781041072331
ISBN 10: 1041072333
Pages: 206
Publication Date: 19 August 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction Chapter 1. Weapon Chapter 2. The Photograph Chapter 3. A Batman, my Great-Grandfather Chapter 4. Occupation Chapter 5. Terror Chapter 6. Education of Amyalyan Chapter 7. Denunciation Chapter 8. Try not to Repeat the Denial of Peter Chapter 9. Love of Amyalyan Chapter 10. Happiness Chapter 11. The Crown of Thorns Chapter 12. Women’s Crusade Chapter 13. Death Chapter 14. Searching for the Language Chapter 15. Bathing in Lethe River Chapter 16. Rage Epilogue. Clementia Index

Victor Martinovich, PhD, is an art historian, fiction writer, and playwright from Belarus. He is an Associate Professor at European Humanities University (Vilnius, Lithuania) and was a grantee of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program in 2024. Martinovich is the author of six fiction novels and seven theatrical plays, and plays based on his works have been staged in Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, Minsk, Innsbruck, and St. Petersburg. He specializes in Paris School artists from Belarus, the Vitebsk period of Marc Chagall, and the history of the Vitebsk Avant-Garde.