Contemporary Lithuania Research Articles

Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) Disparities in Interwar and Restored Independent Lithuania: A Long-Term Cross-Time Comparison

We provide a pioneering estimation of the regional Gross Domestic Product (rGDP) of the interwar Republic of Lithuania in 1923. This is the only year when a census of the interwar population was conducted, providing data necessary for the application of the Geary-Stark method of indirect estimation of regional output. We also measure productivity disparities across the regions in 1923 and 2001–2020 by Coefficient of Variation (CV), Mean Logarithmic Deviation (MLD), Gini and Theil indexes, to find out how much they have changed during the last hundred years. The main findings are that areas enclosed within the limits of contemporary counties (NUTS3 regions) ranked in this order in 1923 (by rGDP per capita, from richest to poorest): (1) Klaipėda; (2) Šiauliai; (3) Kaunas; (4) Panevėžys; (5) Marijampolė; (6) Telšiai; (7) Alytus; (8) Tauragė; (9) Utena. Overall levels of economic disparity in contemporary Lithuania are significantly higher than in Lithuania within its 1923 borders. However, in the contemporary NUTS2 Central and Western region, which corresponds territorially rather closely to that of the Republic of Lithuania in 1923–1938, they have remained at the same level as in 1923. In this area, Kaunas has taken first place from Klaipėda (but only since 2017), while Šiauliai, Marijampolė and Tauragė have relatively declined.

An “Empty Place”? The Transformation of the Industrial Landscape in Contemporary Lithuania

By focusing on the changes to the industrial landscape that can be identified visually and within the materiality of the built environment, this paper discusses the transformation of the industrial landscape and its meaning that has been produced by the human agency that has emerged in damaged industrial places after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence and post-Soviet deindustrialisation. It shows that there is a sense of emptiness related to the ruination and abandonment of the industrial landscape in people’s experiences and memories of Soviet industrial districts. However, it is evident that such emptiness is a transitional stage that creates the conditions for the emergence of new beginnings. The paper reveals that the industrial districts today are active places in which various individual economic activities and economic structures have emerged. The research is based on the two Lithuanian former Soviet industrial cities of Alytus and Marijampolė.

Worth of three doctor's degrees (On Bernardas Gailius "The Guerrilla War of 1944-1953 in the Historical, Political and Legal Culture of Contemporary Lithuania")

Worth of three doctor's degrees (On Bernardas Gailius "The Guerrilla War of 1944-1953 in the Historical, Political and Legal Culture of Contemporary Lithuania")

Lithuanian Feminine Surname Debates from a Central European Perspective

Contemporary Lithuania remains the only European country in which official feminine surnames indicate their bearers’ marital status, and this has been the object of fierce public debates over the past decade. Czechia and Slovakia grapple with surprisingly similar issues, even though Czech and Slovak feminine surnames do not reveal marital status. Similar debates in Poland took place a century earlier, a fact which may indicate the possible direction of the changes in the three countries studied. The aim of this article is to present debates concerning feminine surnames in Lithuania from a wider perspective, regarding contemporary Czechia and Slovakia, as well as Poland in the interwar period, and to show from a wider Central and Eastern European perspective that, despite the obvious differences in naming patterns, Lithuanian discussions are not exceptional, and they are part of a larger tendency towards more freedom in the choice of official surname forms for women. It is evident that, although female surnames are inexorably embedded in the language systems of the countries in which they function, their future largely depends on extralinguistic factors such as societal attitudes. While feminine surnames in European states generally seem to be on the decline, the most controversial remain those types that reveal marital status or imply male possession of women, though pragmatic factors might play some role as well, particularly in the case of minorities.

The Heritage of Tsarist Russia’s Military Forts as an Object of Postcolonial Revision: Case of the Kaunas School of Art Building 1922–1923

The aim of the article is to rethink which objects in contemporary Lithuania are worth being European cultural heritage and which are not — as many of them are now being used by the neighboured aggressive country as examples (politicised arguments) for today’s Russia’s imperial historical narratives. Results of the research demonstrate that the discussion on mitigations of Tsarist Russia’s military forts heritage is a new topic, as the recent decades in Lithuania have shown that the heritage of military forts’ architecture in the post-soviet decades is being protected even more than in Soviet Russia’s occupation period. So, this trend in Lithuanian cultural Heritage research emerges as an object worth deeper postcolonial revision. Significant is building the future from the past. Within this frame of thinking, the article invites us to remember the national history and select well-known cases from the country’s past as most valuable for national and cultural identity. The example of the famous 100-year-old Art School building in Kaunas city (which in the interwar period 1918–1940 was the temporary capital of the Republic of Lithuania) was chosen as the article’s main case study. After 100 years, there are no longer any doubts or debates as to how much the area of the 9th battery in Kaunas Oaks Hill (Ąžuolų kalnas) has “suffered” due to the fact that the complex of buildings of the Lithuanian national Art School was built in a Tsarist Russia military fortress plot. This is evidenced by the other mentioned cases — today outstanding national cultural heritage objects were built a century ago replacing Tsarist Russia’s military architecture, meanwhile, according to the laws in force today — these buildings should be protected. Conclusions. Russia’s war against Ukraine, it’s the right time to reassess countries’ critical heritage: in which situations it is worth, how much it is worth, and in which it is no longer worth protecting the architectural heritage of military power formed by Tsarist Russia, especially when it is ruined and too difficult to adapt it to the needs of modern people.

Sun the Mother and Moon the Father

This article discusses the construction of gender roles in contemporary Baltic Paganism through a case study of teachings and everyday practices among female members of the Ancient Baltic Religious Association Romuva in contemporary Lithuania. Reconstructionist Pagan religious groups usually represent a traditionalist worldview, while the impact of feminist ideas is mostly observed within goddess-oriented Pagan traditions like Wicca. Romuva represents a mixture of the two concerning gender roles. One of the main factors in this mixture is the influence, in her person and ideas, of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas (1921–1994), probably the only Lithuanian representative of second-wave feminism. Interviews with Romuva female members conducted in 2021 show that their conceptions of preferred gender roles and family practices varied. Factors like the interviewee’s age and education, experiences of Soviet so-called “gender equality policies,” and social conservatism all made an impact on them.

The Othering and Resilience of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Soviet and Contemporary Lithuania

Abstract Social research data shows that Jehovah’s Witnesses experience social ostracism, distancing, marginalization, and labeling in contemporary Lithuania. This article searches for an explanation for these public attitudes by applying a sociohistorical approach to the analysis of the processes of othering and resilience of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lithuania from the organization’s arrival at the beginning of the twentieth century to today, focusing on its relations with society and state. It is based on the document and literature analysis of organization and academic sources as well as interviews with Jehovah’s Witnesses conducted in 2020–2021. The article argues that the social history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lithuania illustrates the processes of othering and resilience since the arrival of the organization in Lithuania throughout the Soviet period and in the Republic of Lithuania, as since 1990 both society and state have been contributing to the process of othering, while Witnesses continue persistently to exemplify resilient religion.

The Ecological Funeral: New Ideas in Contemporary Lithuania

The article examines ecological funerals in contemporary Lithuania. The present study focuses on content and visual analysis of funeral celebrations taking information from the contemporary Lithuanian mass media and social media networks, as well as the websites of seven funeral companies. The field research is based on digital material gathered by the author in 2021-2022. I am interested in changes to funeral customs over the latest decade, approaching the subject matter through three key research questions: What factors motivate Lithuanian citizens to decide on an ecological funeral? What changes to the traditional funeral are the most ecologically sustainable? What has the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic been on people’s ideas about ecological funerals?

Youth’s religious identity, religiosity, and religious socialization in contemporary Lithuania: actors and their interactions

Straipsnyje analizuojama jaunimo religinio tapatumo, religingumo konstravimo problema bei jo sąveika su religine socializacija Lietuvoje. Remiantis 2019–2020 metais atliktų fokus grupių interviu su Lietuvos baigiamųjų klasių (11–12) moksleiviais duomenimis, straipsnyje analizuojamas jaunimo religingumo ir religinio tapatumo konstravimas bei jo santykis su religine socializacija Lietuvoje. Pirmiausia aptariamas jaunimo religinio tapatumo klausimas ir jo konstravimas šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje, nagrinėjamas pirminės ir antrinės (institucionalizuotos) socializacijos įtakos konstruojant religinį tapatumą ir švietimo, kaip socialinio instituto, vaidmuo religinei socializacijai. Pasitelkiant tyrimo informantų naratyvus straipsnyje aptariamas moksleivių ir mokytojų požiūris į jaunimo religinį tapatumą ir jo konstravimo veiksnius. Empirinio tyrimo duomenys atskleidė ypatingą mokytojo vaidmens vietą religinio tapatumo, religingumo konstravimo procesuose. Tyrimo duomenys taip pat parodė, kad tarp jo dalyvių vyrauja pasirenkamasis, o ne paveldimasis, religinio tapatumo bei religingumo konstravimo procesas.

Pozycja ustrojowa prezydenta w konstytucjach Litwy z 1922, 1928 i 1992 r.

The aim of this article is to compare the political position of the president in the parliamentary and authoritarian system of interwar Lithuania and the semi-presidential system of contemporary Lithuania. The analysis covers the regulations of three Lithuanian constitutions – those of 1922, 1928 and 1992. Such a strategy seems to be of great cognitive value, as it allows to show the differences and similarities, as well as the evolution of the role of the President in different periods of the Republic of Lithuania. The article assesses the most important legal provisions concerning the political position of the Head of State. The subject under study is still relevant, since Lithuania, as in the period of its first independence until 1926, adopted the same political system, restoring its pre-war solutions (including reactivating the institution of the Head of State). Both the current semi-presidential model of the Second Republic of Lithuania and the parliamentary model of the First Republic of Lithuania until 1926 represent the same type of democracy as a parliamentary system (with the superior role of the Sejm in the system of power).

Who Criticizes the Clergy in Contemporary Lithuania? A Sociohistorical Analysis of Anticlericalism

This paper analyzes the phenomenon of anticlericalism in contemporary Lithuania, applying a sociohistorical approach. It starts with a discussion on the problem of criticism of religion and anticlericalism in contemporary societies, and particularly Lithuania. The empirical part of the paper provides a statistical data analysis of two surveys, conducted in 2012 and 2018. The secondary data analysis showed that age and place of residence of Roman Catholics in Lithuania were statistically meaningful factors for the formation of anticlerical stances. Younger respondents expressed more critical stances towards the clergy, while respondents living in large cities of the country had more relaxed stances towards clergy than those living in small towns and rural areas. Living in a proximity to a Roman Catholic church in rural areas determined the prevalent anticlerical attitudes among the Lithuanian population.

Festive and Daily Interaction between Neighbours in Contemporary Lithuania and Bulgaria

The article is based on data from ethnographic field research that was conducted in Vilnius and the Vilnius are in 2017–2020 and in Sofia in 2019. To meet the aims of this research comparing interactions between neighbours in the cities of Sofia and Vilnius respectively, I analysed two types of neighbourhood: the formal, which is determined by territorial proximity and the necessity of mutual assistance; and the informal, which is based on friendly feelings and the desire to spend leisure time and celebrate together. However, the specific features of field research in these cities highlighted another aspect of the neighbourhood, namely, how it functions in public and private spaces. A majority of respondents associated friendship with visiting one another at home, while birthdays were the most common celebration for spending time together. Older respondents, mostly those who were from villages, remember how neighbours would interact in the village environment and how they brought this concept of neighbourhood to the city, naturally comparing it with the situation there and pointing out generational differences. However, in the opinion of the majority, the city environment changed the nature of interactions between neighbours and created a unique concept of neighbourhood that was based on close social links, which sometimes developed into friendship.

Religious Identity and Family Practices in a Post-Communist Society: The Case of Division of Labor in Childcare and Housework

This paper aims to analyze the way religious identification and practices influence family practices in the division of labor in childcare and housework in contemporary Lithuania. The analysis is based on a quantitative survey (n = 3000) representing the last Soviet generation born between 1970 and 1985. The sample was distributed across five groups according to religious identification and practices—devout religionists, somewhat devout religionists, traditional religionists, cultural religionists and secularists. Statistical data analysis showed devout religionists and secularists were applying equal childcare and housework division practices. Meanwhile, the other three groups were practicing more traditional types of childcare and housework division practice where the main role is played by women. The results also show that religious identity is not relevant in explaining the way couples share housework duties. The results show that religious identification may lead to diverse family practices regarding childcare and housework divisions: reflexive and practiced (non)religious identification leads to more egalitarian family practices.

Małgorzata Stefanowicz, „Polityka etniczna Litwy w latach 1990-2004”

Paradoxically, the issue of the policy of the Lithuanian state towards national minorities – arousing interest and emotions in Poland due to the Polish community there – has not yet been studied separately in Polish science. This gap is filled by the work of Małgorzata Stefanowicz Ph.D. ‘The ethnic policy of Lithuania in 1990–2004’. As a time framework, the author adopted the period from Lithuania’s independence until joining the European Union. The years 1988–1990 were also discussed in detail, that is the period of Sąjūdis’ activity. Actions taken then influenced inter-ethnic relations in later times. The analysis carried out in the work shows that the program drawn up at the dawn of independence was later modified. An important issue is the language, which for the creators of independence was more than just a communication tool. Małgorzata Stefanowicz’s work is a valuable contribution to the development of Polish research on contemporary Lithuania.

Ancient narrative and modern promise: the political arguments for the value of the humanities in Lithuania

Editor’s Note:This essay, while focusing on contemporary Lithuania, raises issues that are of perennial import to the academic study of the humanities in modern nation states, particularly the ‘national’ disciplines of history, language, and literature. There is a constant tension between the scholar’s desire for the freedom of academic inquiry, and the desire of state, which often pays the scholar’s wages, that the scholar produce research that is ‘useful’, especially findings that can be used to legitimize a particular political course of action. In this way, the Law on the creation of the Historical Institute of Latvia in 1936 stated that the purpose of this new research institution was to study and explain historical phenomena in the ‘spirit of nationalism and truth’ (‘nacionālisma un patiesības garā’) – in that order of precedence. This directive reflected the politics of the authoritarian regime of Kārlis Ulmanis at the time. Similarly today, is not uncommon for the various state funding bodies and central research councils to earmark significant resources for research programs conforming to the political agendas of the parties currently in control of the relevant ministries. This problem is by no means exclusive to Lithuania, or even the Baltic states. But, as the authors here ask, using Lithuania as an illustrative example, what is the cost of subordinating the freedom of scholarly inquiry in the humanities to a narrow, politicized view of what the product of research should be?

Between experience and social ‘norms’, identification and compliance: economic and sexual intimate partner violence against women in Lithuania

This article discusses economic and sexual violence against women, which are the two forms of intimate partner violence the least recognised by both Lithuanian society and the survivors of such abuse themselves. The authors of this article analyse the roots of this lack of recognition, and how it is affected and influenced by the patriarchal context and gendered conditioning of Lithuanian society. The article also explores how this conditioning contributes to the reasons why women in contemporary Lithuania still tend not to seek help, regardless of the endemic prevalence of intimate partner violence perpetrated against them. The article is based on a recent study completed in Lithuania. It suggests that a better recognition of economic and sexual coercive control as well as abandonment of ‘victim blaming’ attitudes could be followed by a broader education on gender equality and recognition of gendered stereotypes, in order to more effectively prevent and also respond to this significant social problem.

The Hunt for Lost Identity: Native Faith Paganism in Contemporary Lithuania

The article presents the results of the author's in-depth ethnographic research carried out during 2011-017. It focuses on the Native Faith Paganism movement in contemporary Lithuania. The popularity and peculiarities of the movement and related groups are discussed. Prehistory of the movement, establishment of related religious societies, impacts of altering history and new forms of spirituality to the phenomena debated. The turn from the folkloristic movement to the religious is explained. The diversity of the shifting phenomena and the variety of related groups are analyzed, their interrelations and relation with other modern Pagan groups are presented. Their ideas about and relation with ethnic identity, national history, ethnic culture is analyzed. The self-expression, self-presentation, aims, activities (both public and not for publicity) of Native faith movement are described. Specific attention it is given to the analysis of the Romuva group and subgroups and their ideas, as it is the most popular and the most active modern Native Faith-type Paganism active in Lithuania. Their impact on other modern Paganisms as well as to the whole image of the ancient Lithuanian/Baltic pre-Christian traditions and Lithuanian ethnic culture per se is noticeable.

Vilius Ivanauskas, The Centenary of Lithuania’s Independence: National Mobilization and Democracy Development Throughout Modern Lithuanian History

Modern Lithuania developed consistently in response to external and internal challenges. During the rebirth of the modern nation in the 19th century several vectors emerged that constantly influenced intellectual discourses, politics, and resistance. First, there was the development of national ideology, which aimed at guaranteeing the rights of the Lithuanian nation to establish an independent state. Secondly, the direction of democracy became increasingly evident in the projection and development of the independent state. This article seeks to show the development and overlap of national ideology and democracy, highlighting the main challenges faced in the history of modern Lithuania, discussing the periods of interwar Lithuania, World War II, the Soviet occupation, and contemporary Lithuania, and describing the country’s political and ideological trajectories, including the local politics of history. By taking the concept of the nation as a “category of practice” one notices that nationalism became an important factor not only in the liberation from the occupying empires (Russia and the USSR), but also in justifying the new order in the new state or even when challenging democracy.

Jews in the texts of bishop Motiejus Valančius

This article aims to describe the attitude that the Lithuanian bishop Motiejus Valančius (1801-1875) had toward Jews. Up to now there was little written on this topic. Only in the diaspora (Vytautas Kavolis) and in contemporary Lithuania (Vygantas Vareikis) was Valančius’s anti-Semitism unambiguously identified or, alternately, vigorously denied (Vanda Zaborskaitė) as an erroneous opinion arising out of ignoring the context of most of his writings other than Paaugusių žmonių knygelė [Book for Grownups], Palangos Juzė [Palanga Joe], and Vaikų knygelė [Children’s Book]. Thus searching for an unbiased verdict requires looking at all of Valančius’s published texts, including his didactic tales, hymnals, catechisms, pastoral letters, political brochures, hagiographic writings, historiographic writings, letters, and his diary House Book written in Polish. It must be kept in mind that his texts intended for purely religious practice and catechesis had an even greater influence and therefore shouldn’t be ignored. An analysis of all of Valančius’s texts leads to the conclusion that the bishop did not transcend his epoch but held on to traditional anti-Judaist and anti-Semitic attitudes both in his didactic booklets and political brochures written for public education and in his books intended for catechesis and prayer: everywhere an attitude critical toward Jews shows through. This attitude undoubtedly merged with popular anti-Judaist stereotypes and even reinforced them in the Lithuanian consciousness; they began to fade only during the first period of independence as Lithuanians first encountered their modern Jewish neighbors. But Valančius was not radically antagonistic toward Jews; we see this very clearly in his House Book. His personal relationships with Jews were pragmatic, and during his Kaunas exile even friendly. In his private life he conscientiously observed the principles of Christian love.

Soviet Standardized Single-Family House: the Failed Hope of Non-Communal Living in Postwar Lithuanian Towns

Abstract The article is on the issue of standardized single-family houses introduced by the Soviet government in post-war Lithuania, which later were strictly prohibited. The relation between standardization and communist ideology and the Soviet law is analysed. The author argues that despite the significant influence of the Soviet law, standardized houses were symbols of welfare, modernist architecture and modern living. The lack and absence of them had a negative impact on the architecture of standardized houses in contemporary Lithuania.