Lithuanian identity: why do we keep looking for it and why is the Lithuanian language so important to us?

What is that national identity?

“In short, identity is a certain perception of a person’s self. What a person sees as important things in self-perception and self-presentation to other people.

National identity is a reference to the cultural community, which is important to us as a source of our experience and our future, as a landmark of cultural norms and, in particular, the understanding of oneself as a member of a certain cultural community ” . says Dr. A. Savicka.

The sociologist says that she took on the identity problems not by chance; The interest was due in part to the experience of the cultural difference of the family. “We live nationally in a mixed family and we raise children based on the experience of various cultures,” says the researcher. According to her, personal motives make you think, ask questions, and seek answers.

“A person does not live in social isolation, does not mature and is not formed in social exclusion, he is a member of a community and the elements of community identity are very important for self-perception of who he is. Clearly, not all periods were that community and the basis of its precisely national mobilization. This is something more modern that has emerged with the establishment of nation states, ”says A. Savicka.

The question of identity is constantly alive

According to A. Savicka, identity is important for any community as an axis of concentration. “Every community needs a certain narrative that allows it to identify with the nation, to understand itself as a member of it,” says the sociologist.

According to her, this narrative constantly changes and changes according to the realities of a given moment, political and geopolitical circumstances and other relevant contexts. “As a result, this problem remains alive, never fully resolved or answered,” says A. Savicka.

During the national uprising, during the Sąjūdis, Lithuanian identity was unequivocally the number one issue.

According to the sociologist, the question of the relevance of identity has been increasing during the last decades. “During the national uprising, during the Sąjūdis, Lithuanian identity was unequivocally the number one issue and it was very important to define for ourselves who we are, what we want, where we want to travel,” says A. Savicka.

After the restoration of the state, says A. Savicka, this topic no longer dominates the research. However, recently there has been an escalation of this issue. According to the sociologist, this was due to the intensification of the processes of globalization, European integration and emigration.

According to the sociologist, in a global world where virtual space is increasingly important, nationality is one of the strongest signs for which we go to communities. “For example, the linguistic aspect of nationality in the digital space is acquiring a new meaning: we are no longer concentrating on a territorial base, but on a linguistic base, individual communication spaces are concentrated on the base of language”, says the sociologist.

Lithuanian identity: ethnic or civic?

National identity is generally perceived in two ways: as ethical and civic identity. The ethnic concept of nationality includes language, national origin, ethnic culture, customs, traditions and citizenship: respect for the law, sense of citizenship, civic duties.

According to A. Savicka, most scientific works affirm that the ethnic concept of nationality dominates in Lithuania, and aspects such as language, Lithuanian origin, knowledge of customs and traditions are the most important for Lithuanian self-perception. According to the sociologist, such a perception is characteristic not only of Lithuania, but also of the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe.

“During the Sąjūdis period, ethnicity was very important; in a separate period, there may even have been some contradiction between residents of our country who spoke Lithuanian and those who did not speak Lithuanian. Of course, in Lithuania, however, we avoided very radical forms of that manifestation, but that period was. Now it would be strange to most if we had to differentiate our citizens a lot on this basis, and that is certainly something that is no longer acceptable to society. At that time, it was important, because such were the geopolitical circumstances and that the knowledge of the language, the common ethnic culture were the most important, they could mobilize the community with the greatest force, and that was necessary ”, says A. Savicka.

Based on data from the European Values ​​Survey, a sociologist says that today the relationship between ethnic and civic identity is somewhat more complex. “These theoretical constructs are ethnic and civic nationality, they are just theoretical concepts. And in life there is no contradiction between ethnic and civic nationality. They do not refuse, but coexist in a very beautiful harmony. Depending on a specific historical period or political circumstances, one or another element may become more relevant, another may become less important, but there is no contradiction between them ”, says A. Savicka.

However, the sociologist claims that ethnic nationality is more understandable in Lithuania.

“We place special emphasis on language, but civic issues are no less important in perceiving yourself as Lithuanian, as a resident of Lithuania. In fact, we are even more inclined to distinguish between a Lithuanian and a Lithuanian resident. As if one were an element of nationality, the other is an element of citizenship ”, says the researcher.

Why is Lithuanian so important to us?

According to A. Savicka, the Lithuanian language is the most important element of national identity for Lithuanians. “The Lithuanian language is very important for Lithuanian self-perception. It seems simply incomprehensible that a Lithuanian could be someone who does not speak Lithuanian, ”says the sociologist.

“Probably everyone would answer, even without much thought, that being Lithuanian means speaking Lithuanian, understanding that language. And not only to understand in a linguistic sense, but also to understand various deep and encoded meanings ”, says the interlocutor.

According to A. Savicka, such an emphasis on the importance of language is truly unique, in other nations the language is not emphasized as much as in Lithuania.

According to her, it was the struggle for Lithuanian writing that determined the fact that for Lithuanians today the language remains the first element of national self-perception.

The struggle for the Lithuanian language and Lithuanian writing left a deep imprint on the consciousness and historical memory. This is one of the most important periods for national self-awareness.

“It is difficult to say unequivocally what it depends on, but I would hypothesize that the struggle for the Lithuanian language and Lithuanian writing still left a deep imprint on consciousness and historical memory. This is one of the most important periods for national self-awareness ”, says the sociologist.

There are no great generational differences

A. Savicka says that there are a number of studies showing that the younger generation views nationality issues a little more simply. “They see the need for traffic, that we cannot walk on wooden blocks and dance only folk dances. And maybe he doesn’t even see it as a necessity to preserve identity. Older generations put more emphasis on the need to adhere to tradition and cultural norms, and that this change is the greatest threat, ”he says.

The younger generation sees the need for traffic, that we cannot walk in wooden clogs and dance only folk dances.

However, according to A. Savicka, after conducting his own research on Lithuanian identity, he was surprised: he found no significant differences between generations. “The main elements of national identity, be it language, observance of laws or Lithuanian origin, birth in Lithuania, are equally important for everyone and the order of priority of these issues is the same for young people and greater. Maybe they fill all those things with slightly different content, ”says the sociologist.

It was also unexpected for the researchers themselves that people with different education had a very similar understanding of national identity. “It was to be expected that the more educated people who saw more of the world and traveled more, encountered different cultures, might have a different understanding of their nationality derived from different cultures and their diversity, but the findings of this study did not reveal such things,” says A. Savicka.

We are not alone in the search for identity

“I would be surprised to know that some nation has answered all the questions, solved all the problems and simply has its own national identity as clear. I don’t think it just can’t be. There is no exhaustive list of elements of national identity, we cannot say that being Lithuanian means something and that, and representing another nation means something else ”, says A. Savicka.

I would be surprised to know that some nation has answered all the questions, solved all the problems, and simply has its own national identity as clear.

The sociologist says that the search for a changing and dynamic identity is something universal and common to all nations. “However, what we as Lithuanians are looking for, and the answers that representatives of other nations are looking for, is already very individual and unique, because the historical and cultural experience of each nation is very different,” says A. Savicka .