IN SEARCH OF BELARUS: ABOUT THE NATIONAL IDEA IN THE XIX CENTURY
The article deals with the problem of the national idea evolution in the 19th century on the territory of Belarus. Its characteristic features at the stage under consideration are highlighted. The necessary conditions for the «natural» formation of the national idea are indicated. The specifics of the socio-political situation in the region and its influence on the process of national conceptualization of the Belarusian society are noted. The characteristic of Western Russianism is given. Its compliance with the general principles of the intellectual construction of the nation in the era of the domination of the aristocracies is shown. The features of this doctrine are revealed, which made it possible to adapt the idea of a nation to the social realities of the Belarusian society. A general conclusion is made about the peculiarities of the perception of the region through the national idea in the 19th century.