Nuo amžių slenksčio : naujausia Lietuvos XIX amžiaus istoriografija

Abstract

This article discusses the historiography of the past decade focusing on the historical studies of the 19th century (1795-1917) Lithuania. The essay traces the main developments in the field through a survey of works that enrich the scholarship on the 19th century and implicitly include amendments or new ideas about it whether in terms of theme or methodology. The analytical inquiry into historiography profiled here is linked to the political, cul- tural as well as socio-cultural context of the histor- ical study and takes into account the multi-causal dynamics of its change. The national revival, which surged in the ninth decade of the past millennium, inspired interest in the 19th century national movement and the formation of modern nation. The challenges and parallels, cross-bridging the two periods characterized as national renaissance, influenced the choice of themes for historical projects and played a significant role in establishing a periodical in series Studies in the History of Lithuanian National Revival. Sixteen volumes of the periodical have already been published both as collections of topically arranged articles and book-length publications by single authors. Studies in the History of Lithuanian National Revival assembles a group of middle and younger generation historians to consider, expand, and reassess the scholarship on the socio-political and socio-cultural aspects of the 19th century history of Lithuania. A new body of historiography produced by these scholars also includes a study of history of other ethnic groups and their intercommunications. After the restoration of Lithuania's Independence, older generation positivist historians maintained the continuity of their works while they also relished the regained freedom of thought and the possibility of discussing subjects, which had been banned during the Soviet period. Some scholars included into their works episodes or interpretations that had long been prohibited while others radically changed their conceptual positions. Particularly significant among the historical studies of the decade is Vytautas Merkys' research on Motiejus Valančius, the central figure in the 19th century Lithuania. Merkys' work comprises a systematic study and analysis of nearly the entire body of bibliographical sources on the subject. Valančius is presented as the most prominent figure of the Church who played a very important role in its modernization and contributed to the development of public education as well as protection from the imposition of the Russian language and culture. According to the author, Bishop Valančius foregrounded the harmony of universalism and nationalism though, in Merkys' study, the term nationalism remains vaguely defined. Research into the national identity of Polish-speaking Lithuanian gentry class and the investigation of its communication with the nation at large leads to a hypothesis about the formation of a multicultural territory-bound political community, a tendency that is assumed to have existed until the seventh decade of the 19th century. Reflections have also been renewed on the impact of the national politics of the Czarist Government on the development of the ethno-political and ethno-social situation. In historiography, the most significant signs of renewal - in terms of theme, methodology, and partly method - are manifested in the works of younger generation historians. This generation in many ways expands on the works of their scholarly predecessors who inspire the younger generation historians and supervise their doctoral dissertations. In the investigation of modern nation formation, the concept of nationalism has developed into a comprehensive scholarly application while the exploration of Lithuanian national consciousness, a historiohraphical focus that has been prevalent in the historical studies of Lithuania for over a century, shows a considerable decline. Attention has been turned to a systematic study of the urgent problems of contemporary society and ap- pealing everyday realities of the past.