| Abstract [eng] |
This monograph seeks to examine the value orientations characteristic of different social generations of the Lithuanian population (hereafter referred to as generations) and to analyse how these orientations have changed over the three decades since the restoration of Lithuania’s independence. The study presents a theoretically grounded and methodologically coherent empirical analysis of the dynamics of societal values in Lithuania through generational change, revealing how historical, socio-economic, and political contexts shape values and collective identity. We compare the value orientations and their dynamics across six generations that constitute contemporary Lithuanian society (the Interwar Generation, the First Soviet Generation, the Second Soviet Generation, the Last Soviet Generation, the Transitional Generation, and the First Independence Generation) and provide a systematic analysis of their similarities and differences. The birth years of these generations span an 82-year period (from 1918 to 2000), meaning that the members of each generation grew up and entered independent adult life under markedly different political, economic, and social conditions.This monograph is situated within contemporary sociological and anthropological research on the development of Lithuanian society. It contributes to the analysis of the impact of critical historical ruptures on social structure and cultural mentality, and demonstrates how transformative societal moments have shaped the worldviews and value priorities of different generations. The study examines value change in the domains of family, work, religion, civic engagement, and other spheres of everyday life, showing how intergenerational differences influence daily practices and social norms. The analysis presented in this monograph enables an empirically grounded reconstruction of processes of social change, interpreted from the perspective of mentality and everyday life. Through a comparative cross-cultural approach, it also highlights similarities and differences in value change in Lithuanian society within the broader European context. |
