OIKOS: Lithuanian Migration and Diaspora Studies / OIKOS: lietuvių migracijos ir diasporos studijos

Book Review

Dainius Genys — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Review of the book Lithuanian-Origin Diasporas in the East and Their Identity: The Cases of the Volga Region and Kazakhstan, by Loreta Vilkienė, Vytis Čiubrinskas, Jolanta Kuznecovienė, and Irena Šutinienė. Vilnius: Vilnius University Press, 2024.

Book Review

Asta Petraitytė - Briedienė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Review of the book The Pontifical St. Casimir Lithuanian College in Rome: A Historical Sketch, by Arūnas Streikus. Vilnius: Naujasis Židinys–Aidai, 2024.

The History and Culture of Diaspora

Gintarė Navakauskaitė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

In contemporary (e)migrant prose, individual experiences are depicted against the backdrop of global challenges, and autobiographical elements are being replaced by reflections on the intersec tions of different historical and cultural realities. There is an increase in novels that rethink the soviet and post-soviet past. This article examines the (e)migrant experiences depicted in Dalia Staponkutė’s parallel-narrative novel Vivat regina! and analyzes the individual and collective experiences reflected through past reflections in Vaiva Rykštaitė’s novel Lizos butas and Akvilina Cicėnaitė’s novel Tylos istorija. The article reveals that the form of the parallel-historical novel provides an opportunity to highlight three distinct (e)migrant experiences, highlighting transnational action and the varying speeds of emigration becoming. In the reflections on the soviet, post-soviet, and tragic historical past, the intersection of (post)memory and forgetting is emphasized, along with traumatic experiences.

The History and Culture of Diaspora

Gabija Bankauskaitė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Literary criticism holds significant importance both within Lithuania and in its diaspora, yet the discipline remains undervalued. This article explores the literary and critical influences that shaped the perspectives of diaspora writer Algirdas Jeronimas Landsbergis (1924–2004), examining his impact, particularly on younger generations of Lithuanian emigrant authors. Among the most influential literary figures for Landsbergis was Thomas Stearns Eliot, an acclaimed poet, critic, and playwright of English-American descent. This article investigates why Eliot’s seminal poem, The Waste Land (1922), held special appeal for Landsbergis, by analysing its relevance and legacy for modern Lithuanian poetry in exile. It further considers how the poem influenced Landsbergis’s criteria for assessing Lithuanian diaspora poetry. Within the framework of Eliot’s reception, the discussion highlights Landsbergis’s intellectual alignment with Lithuanian modernists – critics and poets alike. Additionally, the analysis of translations of Eliot’s poem by Alfonsas Nyka-Niliūnas (1953) and Tomas Venclova (1972) provides in sights into Landsbergis’s literary views and underscores the broader significance of translating international literary works into Lithuanian. Ultimately, the examination of Landsbergis’s critical engagement with Eliot’s poetry reveals defining characteristics of his evaluative approach.

The History and Culture of Diaspora

Regina Laukaitytė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This article explores the biography and activities of Kazys Pilėnas-Palmer (1872–1956), a Lithuanian émigré. In 1896–1922, he worked in the intelligence services of Great Britain, the United States, Tsarist Russia, and Lithuania, leaving his mark on several high-profile cases. At the turn of the 20th century, while living in London and New York, he was among the most active early Lithuanian émigré organizers of cultural and political institutions, as well as a publisher of periodicals. Drawing on archival sources, historiography, and the press, the article examines who Pilėnas really
was—an adventurer, as described in the Lithuanian Encyclopedia published in the U.S. in 1961, or a figure who built a solid career in exile.
Kazys Pilėnas surpassed his fellow émigrés in broad interests, and social engagement. He never concealed his leftist views or his ties to British, U.S., and Lithuanian intelligence. A very public figure, he wrote for newspapers and shared stories of his intelligence exploits with journalists. He did not shy away from promoting his accomplishments, often exaggerated and embellished with the names of famous political figures. Such “loquacity” and narcissism, as well as conflicting relationships with rightwing figures, apparently led to his being labeled an adventurer and halted his career in Lithuania.
Pilėnas left a distinct mark on the history of Lithuanian émigrés in Great Britain and America, where he appeared as a patriot and devoted community leader. After failing to find his place in Lithuania (where he briefly worked on organizing intelligence efforts in 1920–1921) he settled in the United States and distanced himself from the Lithuanian community. Although he never returned to Lithuania, Pilėnas’s name continues to intrigue due to his connections to intelligence archives and his involvement in once widely publicized cases.

The History and Culture of Diaspora

Domantė Vaišvylaitė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The article analyses three early prose texts by Algirdas Landsbergis – Antroji kalnų grandinė (The Second Mountain Chain) (1947), Paskutinioji diena (The Last Day) (1948) and Nakties dugnu (At the Bottom of the Night) (1949) – using a mythopoetic method. Mircea Eliade’s theory is used to reveal how the mythical images of time and space help the author to structure the world-view of the works and to convey the existential experiences of the characters. The aim is to analyze the author’s individual mytho poetic principles of world formation – time and space – which articulate the existential tension between the limits of reality and the possibilities of myth, and form a poetic vision of reality that combines retrospection, transcendental tension, and metaphysical experience of the environment.

The History and Culture of Diaspora

Eduardas Remecas — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Medals are works of small sculpture that commemorate individuals or events of importance to states or organizations. They can be given for an award of merit or simply for memory. The beginning of Lithuanian medalry can be traced back to the 16th century, when medals began to be minted at the Vilnius Mint. However, the national history of Lithuanian medalry began in the United States of America. It was in the diaspora that the first medals in the Lithuanian language and the first Lithuanian medals of award and remembrance were created. This article presents various Lithuanian commemora
tive medals created in the diaspora and reveals unknown or forgotten facts about their creation – themes, artists, production dates, manufacturers, editions, and purposes.
Commemorative medals in the diaspora were mainly intended to promote patriotism and cherish memory of the lost homeland. A large part of the medals were produced thoughtfully, adjusting to the dates or events important to Lithuania. Often, the distribution of medals was also aimed at raising funds for various ideas. The issuance of medals in the diaspora was initiated by private individuals, heads of organizations or board members. Medals were usually created by Lithuanian artists who had completed their studies in Lithuania or had acquired art knowledge in other Lithuanian or foreign schools. In the diaspora, medals were replicated solely by minting and this work was carried out by various private and public mints.
In 1920, the first traditional-looking Lithuanian commemorative medal was minted in the USA, dedicated to the commemoration of the proclamation of Lithuania’s independence. At the same time, it was the first medal of its kind with inscriptions in Lithuanian.

The Contemporary Processes of Migration

Erika Nabažaitė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The portrayal of emigration and emigrants from Lithuania on social documentary television shows is an unexplored topic. In Lithuania, no scientific studies have been conducted that reveal in detail the picture of emigration formed on national television shows dedicated to emigration. This article presents the results of an empirical study on the presentation of emigration on the social documentary (Ne)emigrantai (‘(Not)emigrants’; hereafter referred to as the ‘TV programme’), from 2004 to 2023. Using the concept of a narrative as a set of stories, the study examines what image of emigration from Lithuania from around 2004 to 2023 was created on the TV programme, what characteristics it has and what structure of the emigration narrative it reveals. The empirical research showed that the stories presented on the TV programme about emigration from 2004 to 2023 correspond to the scientific trends of the development of emigration, and their specifics do not change in the different periods of emigration. The shows aired usually emphasise the economic motives for emigration, and other factors of emigration complement the stories. The nature of emigration determines the types of emigrants. Two main character types are mentioned the most on the TV programme: economic migrants, and people looking for happiness. Several emigration directions are accented in the emigrants’ stories. Most people emigrate to economically strong countries that value unskilled manual labour. Analysis of the specific characteristics of the emigration narrative highlighted that the emigration experiences were recognised as successful, but the destination countries were notidealised on the shows aired. The hero’s journey is shown to television viewers realistically and without exaggeration, through the phase of change in the successful overcoming of obstacles. The transformations of the hero’s character are highlighted through the adventure and didactic type of storytelling.

The 30th Anniversary of the Lithuanian Emigration Institute: History, Works, and Perspectives

Daiva Dapkutė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

In 1989, with the efforts of Lithuania’s academic intelligentsia and the émigré community, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) was re-established in Kaunas. Its concept was shaped as a vision of a “university for Lithuanians worldwide,” with the hope that it would become a hub for uniting the academic forces of the global Lithuanian community and a center for cooperation between Lithuania and its diaspora. In 1994, the Center for Lithuanian Diaspora Studies was established at VMU, later evolving into the Lithuanian Emigration Institute – at the time, the only academic institution of its kind in Lithuania dedicated specifically to studying the emergence of the Lithuanian diaspora worldwide, as well as its cultural, political, and civic activities. The institute also focused on collecting, preserving, and researching the documentary heritage of the diaspora. Over the course of three decades, the center evolved: its staff changed, the number of preserved cultural heritage collections and completed research projects grew, and a strong school of Lithuanian diaspora history research took shape. Today, its scholars can be found throughout various academic and research institutions in Lithuania. This article, drawing on historiography, archival documents (preserved at Vytautas Magnus University, the Lithuanian Emigration Institute, and private collections), as well as published sources, seeks to uncover the circumstances of the Institute’s founding, introduce the people who worked there, and highlight the key features of the Institute’s thirty years of activity.

The 30th Anniversary of the Lithuanian Emigration Institute: History, Works, and Perspectives

Juozas Skirius — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The active participation of Lithuanian émigré professors in the restoration of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas and in teaching various courses there naturally gave rise to the idea of establishing an institution at the university that would be dedicated to researching the history of the emigration. In 1994, the Center for Lithuanian Diaspora Studies was established, and in 2000, the Institute was founded, which in 2012, became known as the Lithuanian Emigration Institute (LEI). The Centre and the Institute have had from two to ten staff members at different times. This research institution collects and manages the archives of the diaspora, of which there are over 90 fonds, researches them and publishes the results of the research. The focus is not only on the history of the Lithuanian diaspora, but also on contemporary migration issues. Since 2006, the scientific journal Oikos has been published (two issues per year), with over 280 scientific and review articles, as well as a large number of reviews and source publications. The staff of the research institution has produced and published about 60 monographs and reference works; organised international and national conferences, seminars, roundtables, and discussions; presented books, exhibitions, and documentaries on a variety of diaspora topics; and participated in projects. These processes are continuing. Dozens of dissertations have been prepared and defended at the Institute. Research by specialists in various disciplines – history, sociology, cultural studies, religion, philosophy, and art – has found a place in the events and the journal Oikos, and has helped to better understand the fate of the diaspora in foreign lands. The variety of topics for research remains: there is a need for syntheses of individual Lithuanian communities, ideological diaspora currents, and major organisations; contemporary research on emigration and immigration; and more attention to the preparation of biographies of prominent diaspora figures. Over the past 30 years, the LEI staff has laid a solid foundation for a new branch of historical field – emigrantology – which has attracted a growing number of scholars from various academic and social institutions, with the aim of covering the history of Lithuanians abroad in the most objective manner possible.

Events

Rūta Puraitė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Chronicle of Events, November 1, 2024 – May 1, 2025: The Lithuanian World Community and Lithuania.

From Archives

Dalia Kuizinienė — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Stasys Barzdukas (1906–1981) was not only a prominent émigré public figure but also a Lithuanian linguist and teacher. He wrote articles on literature, language, and issues of culture and society both in Lithuania and in the diaspora. While living in Lithuania, he taught at the Tauragė Teachers’ Seminary, as well as at the Prienai and Alytus gymnasiums. In exile between 1945 and 1949, he worked at the Lithuanian Gymnasium in Eichstätt, and later, while residing in the United States, at the Lithuanian Saturday School in Cleveland. He not only instructed his students in Lithuanian grammar but also sought to cultivate their civic responsibility and social engagement. Barzdukas published Lithuanian language textbooks, edited Pasaulio lietuvis (The Lithuanian of the World), a journal established by the board of the Lithuanian World Community (PLB), and contributed to a wide range of émigré periodicals. Nevertheless, unable to fully express himself in the profession of teaching while in emigration, Barzdukas immersed himself in the process of organizing Lithuanian communities.

Pro Memoria

Vytis Čiubrinskas — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0300

In Memoriam: Professor Romas Vaštokas (1935–2025)