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That is why they tried to use Slavic factor in Latgalian region and re-orientate it toward Belarus, but they were not
able to realize this political slogan 1 .
Misfortune of Belarus nationalists only underlined common weakening of the Slavic (Polish, Russian and
Belarus in the same time) influence in Latgale. Belarus nationalists tried to use Latvian authorities as their own instrument
for weakening of the influence. It was known that illegal Polish schools were opened in different places
of Latgale. This action was understood in Riga as hostile. That is why head of Daugavpīls school department Sebastjans
Paberzis in 1924 wrote in his letter to the vice-minister dominiks Jaudzeps, that “Latvians must support
aspirations of Belaruses, while we will not become stronger, and will not kill Polish influence”. Such policy was
motivated by necessity of opposition to Polish “chauvinistic politicians”.
In such situation authorities aimed to weaken Polish aspiration and maintain Latvian political interests. Later,
Latvian authorities tried by statistical means to understate number pf poles in Latvia and during censuses Poles
were forcedly written in its results as Belaruses or Latvians. But soon Latvian policy changed and they started to
cultivate Latgale as Latvian lieux de memoire without any influential mom-Latvian elements. Latvian authorities
organized anti-Belarus campaign in which Russian nationalists also took part. In result Belarus Department of
Ministry of Education was closed. Belarus nationalists were repressed.
As for modern Latvian historians, they don’t deny the facts about magnificent role of Belaruses in Latvian
history. ilga Apīne, for example, presumes that Belarus community belongs to the number of traditional ethnical
groups which has developed contacts with Latvians 2 . So Latvian intellectuals try to underline fact that Latgale
is the land where different national identities and historical memories met. That is why in the intellectual history
there is place for Latgale as not Latvian, but also Belarus lieux de memoire also 3 .
As we see, historically Latgale developed as contact zone between different neighboring nations with their
own identities and memories. All these nations were able to find place in their historical memories and national
mythologies for Latgale. Nationalistic intellectuals, belonged to these groups, proposed different project of Latgale
as part of their own identity. In this confrontation they widely used history, operated by facts and dates. They
understood history and analyzed past of Latgale in such ways which assisted to their national aspirations. Some
of these projects were serious, others – marginal.
Latvian and partly Latgalian nationalists won, and Polish and Belarus were losers in this struggle for Latgale.
Latvian and Latgalian projects are real now and they are popular among local intellectuals. Polish and Belarus
ones are parts of Polish and Belarus historical memories. Latvian and Latgalian intellectuals mentally control
cultural processes in contemporary Latgale, but Polish and Belarus intellectuals can only remember and re-think
historical experience of their communities in Latgale.
Latgale as lieux de memoire is complex project. Latvian, Belarus, Latgalian and Polish intellectuals developed
different narratives. They expressed them and popularize them in different ways. They studied language and history,
used literature for national and nationalistic propaganda. Each of mentioned above projects was also complex
and had different levels and expressions. And I hope that Latgalian past and present, local memory and identity
– all factors which forms phenomenon of Latgale as lieux de memoire – will be in the center of other studies, that
will assist to development of Baltic Studies in general and Latgalian Studies in particular.
Bibliography
APINE, I., 2001, Mesto belorusov Latvii v riadu drugikh narodov, in Belaruskaia dyiaspara iak pasrednitsa tsyvilizatsij,
Mensk, 43 – 46.
APINE, I., 1995, Baltkrievi latvija, Rīga.
APINE, I., VOLKOVS V., 1998, Slavi latvija, Rīga.
BARKOVSKA, G., 2003, Sabiedriskā dzīve Dvinskā XX gs. sākumā laikraksta “Drywa” slejās (1908-1914), in Daugavpils
universitātes Humanitārās fakultātes Xii Zinātnisko lasījumu materiāli. Vēsture, VI/I, 14. – 20.
BOGORODITSKII, V., 1909, Ocherki po iazykoznaniiu i russkomu iazyku, Kazan’.
BREIDAKS, B., 1992, Latgalīšu literarō volūda: nūstōdnis un problemys, in Olūts: Rokstu krōjums, 8.
1 EKABSONS, 2001, 47 – 71.
2 APINE, 2001, 43 – 46.
3 APINE, 1995; APINE, VOLKOVS, 1998.
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