| Abstract [eng] |
The dissertation examines the phenomenon of abandonment of children in Soviet Lithuania from 1944 to 1990. The study analyses several types of sources: archival documents, published memories and diaries, Soviet publications, interviews. This research documents three most widely employed practices of children abandonment: abortion, infanticide, and neglection or giving children away to live outside families. Further, the scope of these practices and their dynamics are indicated. The preconditions of abandonment of children are investigated by employing the method of problematic analysis, considering political goals of the state, dominant everyday societal demands, sociocultural context, family circumstances – such as living conditions, capability to provide food and healthcare, relations between the sexes and family members. Moreover, the dissertation reconstructs the Soviet Lithuanian system of childcare, and the ways institutions were formed and worked during the Soviet period. This enables to discern state-provided theoretical and practical means which aimed to solve the problems of abandoned children, and the abandonment of children. |
