Unsettling Borderlands: The Population Exchange and the Polish Minority in Soviet Belarus, 1944–1947.

The article analyzes the Soviet nationality policy in Belarus during the 1944–1947 Polish–Soviet population exchange, highlighting that Belarusian authorities prioritized retaining the labor force over enforcing ethnic homogenization. Unlike in Lithuania and Ukraine, nationality was often determined by place of birth rather than self-identification, leading to many individuals being classified as Belarusians to limit the number of Poles eligible for resettlement. The population transfer combined elements of both state-enforced expulsion and voluntary refugee exodus, with many Poles eager to leave due to poor living conditions and opposition to Sovietization. This process resulted in partial de-Polonization without a coherent policy of ethnic cleansing or Belarusian nationalist involvement, illustrating the complex interplay between Soviet governance, national identity, and individual agency in the postwar borderlands.