Piotr Rudkouski: Belarusian Business Becomes More Patriotic

Belarusians go through the same stages in the national development as their European neighbours.

Native of Hrodna region, philosopher and publicist Piotr Rudkouski spent many years overseas: he got the master degree in the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and upheld a thesis thus becoming a Ph.D. in the Warsaw University.

Apart from the Belarusian Collegium in Minsk, he taught at the European Humanities University in Vilnius, a number of Polish universities, and the St. Thomas college in Kyiv.

Piotr is a laureate of international grants, as well as the winner of the Polish Leu Sapeha award. From 2012 to 2016 he taught at the Lazarski University in Warsaw. In May this year he was invited for the position of Academic Director of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS). Together with his family — his wife Regina and little daughter Miriam — he returned from Warsaw to Minsk.

The reporters of budzma.by asked the philosopher why the Belarusians should learn the sense of patriotism from Polish citizens:

— What, in your opinion, Belarusians should learn from the citizens of Poland?

— Patriotism in the sense of national consciousness, national self-respect. Perhaps sometimestheir form of patriotism is a bit extreme, but where there are no extremes? Any idea is the extreme version. At present, the cultural and economic importance of national identity is known not only to intellectuals, but also the representatives of the Belarusian business. For example, there are such companies as "Buy Native." Many domestic businessmen understand that the national identity is a natural ally in the customers’ positions, beneficial for them. The stronger the national identity, the greater the effect of such campaigns as "Buy Native." That's why even the fact that business is increasingly beginning to engage in the national-oriented cultural and educational programs becomes the proof of the importance of such concepts as national identity and patriotism.