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Philippa Hetherington Travel Grant awarded to Alesia Mankouskaya

15 January 2025

We are delighted to announce the first recipient of the Dr Philippa Hetherington Research Travel Grant, Alesia Mankouskaya.

Alesia Mankouskaya

Congratulations to PhD student, Alesia Mankouskaya, who is the first recipient to benefit from the Dr Philippa Hetherington Research Travel Grant. The grant was set up in memorial of SSEES lecturer, Dr Philippa Hetherington, and funds raised go towards supporting PhD students studying history to help with research costs overseas. 

Alesia says: 'Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Slavic studies have undergone a significant shift toward decolonization, fostering a growing awareness that "Russian" does not always mean "of Russia." Moreover, the term "Russian" itself is far from unequivocal, requiring clarification and contextualization to address its historical and cultural complexities.

A unique manuscript from the second half of the 17th century has survived and is preserved in the Ossolineum (the Library of the National Ossoliński Institute) in Wrocław, Poland. This collection comprises four Academic dramas from the Baroque period and seven intermezzi (comic scenes), which were written and staged in Orsha and probably also in Polotsk (both then part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, now in modern-day Belarus). These intermezzi have yet to be analysed in the context of national dramaturgy or subjected to detailed theatrical analysis.

Thanks to the Philippa Hetherington Research Travel Grant, I will undertake a key component of my research: traveling to Poland to study this manuscript in the Wrocław library. I aim to conduct a dramaturgical analysis of the intermezzi texts and test the hypothesis that these comic scenes are early examples of Belarusian national dramaturgy, which also reflect broader trends in European theatrical culture during the Counter-Reformation. By doing so, I hope to contribute to the decolonization of Slavic studies and bring attention to the distinct cultural legacies of Belarus and Ukraine in 17th-century dramaturgy.'