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«Песняры» и дискурсы наследия в Беларуси
The music of vocal-instrumental ensemble «Pesnyary» is recognized in Belarus as a cultural heritage that must be saved and protected. In this paper, the approach of critical heritage studies is used to show, how this meaning of heritage is created, what heritage discourses exist in Belarus and how they constitute different meanings of heritage. The focus of the paper is on the confrontation and interrelation between the authorized and unauthorized heritage discourses. The main sources are the official web-site of «Pesnyary», publications in press, audiovisual materials. As well, the use of heritage for the constitution of national identity narratives is analyzed. The key points of the preservation and management of heritage in Belarus are the establishment of the heritage continuation and authenticity, exclusion of contradictory interpretations of the heritage, its interrelation to the particular version of the past, and hence the particular identity narrative. To establish this, the authorized heritage discourse appeals to the authoritative figure of the founder of «Pesnyary» Vladimir Muliavin, to the legal measures of copyright, and to the nostalgic connotations of the «Pesnyary music». One of the main actors in the authorized heritage discourse is the government that puts efforts into recognizing and funding the one version of the heritage that corresponds with the state's cultural policy. Unauthorized heritage discourse uses the «Pesnyary» heritage to express national components of the collective identity and rejuvenate the past, actualize it and put in the up-to-date context. The main actors in the analyzed case are the influencers from local media and the music industry. Their activity and use of heritage
consolidates local Belarusian rock-music scene and represents it as innovative. Another use of heritage in the unauthorized heritage discourse is a popularization of heritage.