Lithuanian Identity and Values

Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change Series IVA, Eastern and Central Europe, Volume 31 General Editor George F. Mclean Lithuanian Identity and Values Lithuanian Philosophical Studies, V Edited by Aida Savicka The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Copyright © 2007 by The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Box 261 Cardinal Station Washington, D.C. 20064 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Lithuanian identity and values / edited by Aida Savicka. p. cm. -- (Lithuanian philosophical studies ; 5) (Cultural heritage and contemporary change. Series IVa, Eastern and Central Europe ; v. 31) Includes bibliographical references and index 1. Social values--Lithuania. 2. Group identity--Lithuania. 3. Identity (Psychology)--Lithuania. 4. Lithuania--Social conditions--1991- 5. Lithuanians- -Ethnic identity. I. Savicka, Aida. HN539.9.A8L55 2006 2006027889 305.891’92009049--dc22 CIP ISBN 978-1-56518-236-3 (pbk.) Table of Contents Introduction 1 Part I. The Quest for Personal Identity in Changing Times Chapter 1. National Identity, Culture and Globalization 7 Almantas Samalavičius Chapter 2. Personal Identity in the Face of Change: 15 Between Destiny and Choice Aida Savicka Chapter 3. Lithuania and Europe: Possibilities for 37 Reconstructing Identity Virginijus Savukynas Chapter 4. Searching for Lithuanian Identity 53 between East and West Antanas Andrijauskas Part II. Culture in Transition: Empirical Perspectives Chapter 5. Self-Identification: Sociological Research Data 83 Arvydas Virgilijus Matulionis Chapter 6. Religiosity and the Moral Values of 101 Lithuanians in the European Context Stanislovas Juknevičius Chapter 7. The Anatomy of Generalized Trust: 121 The Case of Lithuania Rūta Žiliukaitė Chapter 8. A Subjective Evaluation of the Quality of 147 Life in Lithuania: A Comparative Perspective Ingrida Gečienė Index 167 Introduction Lithuania is a special testing ground for human progress. This comes from its long history of enlightened leadership that joined with Poland to cre- ate a kingdom which has always led in the free and creative political development of Eastern Europe. Its University was the first in the entire region. In the 1980s the claim of Lithuania for its independence was a catalyst and rallying point for the entire region and in Georgia, the young Chavchavadze was assassinated for supporting that claim. M. Gorbachaev would later apologize to Bronius Kusmitchas, Vice President of Lithuania, for having refused to receive him when he came to Moscow on the part of his people. Yet the Lithuania would be heard. So when as part of what was to be a new “people’s May Day Parade” the Lithuanian delegation unfurled its long forbidden national flag in Red Square it unleashed from all the peoples their common call for freedom. Twenty minutes later the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union climbed down from atop Lenin’s Tomb. It could well be said that it was the tip of the Lithuanian flag that dealt communism its final coup de grace. But of course the end of one system imposes the need to develop a new one. Lithuania was able to draw on the rich resources of its past, but it faced a daunting challenge. After 150 years of foreign domination during the time of the Polish partitions and, with little intermission, another forty years of Soviet occupa- tion it was necessary to face the daunting task of rediscovering and redevelop- ing the roots of its national identity. This meant reconstructing its recognition of the identity and dignity of the person and claiming its position between East and West and among the peoples of Europe. This is the concern of Part I. In this time of total transition and reconstruction, it was necessary to find new bases for such moral values as the interpersonal trust upon which the quality of social life depends. Part II is devoted to empirical investigation of these concerns. Part I undertakes “The Quest for Personal Identity in Changing Times.” Chapter I by Almantas Samalavičius “National Identity, Culture and Globalization,” introduces the work by noting that the cultural identity of the people becomes especially conscious and important when under threat but diminishes when the threats pass. Moreover, though identity is related to long cultural traditions, it is not fixed or retrospective but mobile and progressive through changing times. Thus it is in need of being redeveloped and newly conceived in order to avoid becoming stagnant and impeding progress. Chapter II by Aida Savicka, “Personal Identity in the Face of Change: Between Destiny and Choice,” begins by identifying two main emphases: values and subjective perception of selfhood, on the one hand, and social structure and role performance, on the other. The former is seen as enabling 2 Introduction stability and identity through changes in roles. Whereas in traditional society identities were fixed, this is no longer the case and all is constantly subject to reconsideration. This is related to consumption by Bourdieu and Featherstone by means of understanding consumption as a basic mode of communication independent of social status. Based on this Savicka proceeds to describes the major changes in self-identity in the post communist move away from the common and hence shared, to free enterprise and consumer trends. In the post modern context this central change in identity or even multiple selves tends now to be accepted as normal rather than abnormal. Values rather than roles now emerge as the guide and coordinator of the consumerist choices by which the new identities are established and combined. In Chapter III by Virginijus Savukynas, “Lithuania and Europe: Pos- sibilities for Reconstructing Identity,” begins by asking about the human sig- nificance of space and hence ofgeography, as well as of the historical acts by which these are established, divided and appropriated. In the case of Lithuania this took on special meaning through remembrance of the dead. After the in- tense national consciousness in the thrust to regain independence this at first weakened but now appears to take on renewed and perhaps deeper and more symbolic meaning, changing the negative into the positive. With changes in Europe, globalization becomes not only a flattening homogenization but an opportunity for difference as well where Lithuania can find its proper identity. In Chapter IV by Antanas Andrijauskas, “Searching for Lithuanian Identity Between East and West,” presents a full review of the remarkable development of Asian studies in Lithuania. These are traced in detail from the 19th century to the subsequent period of Lithuanian history. Each presents the major authors with a section on the work of each. This extends across dance and the arts to the classical writings of the various Asian religions and even includes the development of communities of artists and scholars where East- ern cultures are lived. Part II treats “Culture in Transition” in an empirical perspectives. Chapter V by Arvydas Virgilijus Matulionis, “Self-Identification: Sociological Research Data,” provides a close and detailed survey of the way the various groups identify themselves and the changing pattern of this self- identification in various sized settlements in Lithuania, with comparison as well to other people. Chapter VI by Stanislovas Juknevičius, “Religiosity and the Moral Values of Lithuanians in the European Context,” records a significant decline in religiosity and attention to moral values in Europe. The Western countries lead the way, but the East follows along by and large except where the earlier forced atheism shows some redress. This was reflected in the notably ten- dency to find undesirablechurch influence in pubic affairs. Chapter VII by Rūta Žiliukaitė, “The Anatomy of Generalized Trust: The Case of Lithuania,” studies generalized trust as a key to healthy personal life and social interrelations. She studies as well the history of this phenome- Introduction 3 non and does so comparatively in relation to the European countries. She finds deficiencies in the social conditions which provide the context for generalized trust, noting that a strong individualism which was not encouraged in Soviet time generally correlates with generalized trust. Chapter VIII by Ingrida Gečienė, “A Subjective Evaluation of the Quality of Life in Lithuania: A Comparative Perspective,” shows that, above age or stable relations, the strongest indicator of life satisfaction is the eco- nomic factor. This presents a special challenge to Lithuania and other post communist societies which are relatively impoverished. This situation is changeable, however, as can be seen in Poland. Greater political stability and room for self-development would seem to promise improvement in the subjective evaluation of the quality of life for the future. George F. McLean Part I The Quest for Personal Identity in Changing Times Chapter I National Identity, Culture and Globalization Almantas Samalavičius The impact of globalizing cultural trends on the various national cultures has become one of the burning issues of the day. Today globalization often is seen as a hegemonic discourse enveloping and affecting all pos- sible cultural elements and their forms all over the world, enveloping as well post-modern and traditional societies. Post-Soviet Lithuania, like many other countries shifting from a closed to an open society, is now being subjected to global forces operating a contemporary world. These are no longer divided

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