Lietuvos etnologija / Lithuanian ethnology

Professor Adam Kuper of the London School of Economics shares his insights on current issues in anthropology in an interview that includes vivid autobiographical details discusses the definition of anthropology as a science, the differences between its various schools, and shifting disciplinary boundaries. Professor Kuper also reflects on the particular interests of scholars in Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic, the relationships between folklore studies and comparative ethnology, and the importance of interdisciplinary experimentation. Readers of the journal Lietuvos etnologija: socialinės antropologijos ir etnologijos studijos (Lithuanian Ethnology: Studies in Social Anthropology and Ethnology) will discover new insights into the relationships between anthropologists and their influence on the current state of science and theory. The interview was conducted and prepared by Vida Savoniakaitė.

The subject of this article is Baltic summer solstice rituals. The main objective is based on the idea of syncretism at the mythological and ethnological levels, which has not been explored by researchers to date, i.e. the cosmogonic myth about the brother and sister, the Sun and the Moon, on the summer solstice and necroculture, the period when the remains of the dead are buried, with the main goal of establishing a connection between the transcendence of ghosts. Based on typological and analytical descriptive, and areal linguistic methods, the origin of the Baltic summer solstice feast is hypothetically linked to the emphasis on the temporary contact between different worlds (the living and the dead) during the summer solstice, which determines the order of the world, vegetation, and a good harvest.

The article examines the image of the guardian angel in Lithuanian folklore from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. The work introduces the concept of a ‘guardian angel’ and the origins of the image, as well as the circumstances under which it spread in Lithuania. The study aims to identify the main features and meanings of the guardian angel as an active figure in Lithuanian folk narratives. Folklore material shows that the image of the guardian angel during the period under study in Lithuania was part of a living tradition that influenced the personal and social everyday life.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Occultural discourse has influenced the structuring of rituals to facilitate sense-making in psychedelic liminal states. Occulture is an interpretation of esotericism and occultism within a popular culture framework, which, however, has a genuine psychologically transformative agenda. To address this question, it will draw on the theories of ritual, as understood by Victor Turner, within the context of contemporary psychedelic culture. This theory addresses the purpose of ritual and the controlled formation of liminal spaces for selftransformation. In particular, it will explore the sense-making narratives that surround the psychedelic enhancement of the senses through the lens of Occultural discourse.

The article explores how individuals in Vilnius today who identify as Jewish express their Jewish identity through everyday practices and festive celebrations. Drawing on empirical data and theoretical concepts of identity, it reveals the transformations in language, religion, holiday traditions and dietary practices. The identity of Vilnius Jews is dynamic, multi-layered, and adaptable to the changing environment. Not only do religion and language play a significant role in the expression of their identity, but so do cultural rituals, family histories, and participation in Jewish community activities. Research conducted in 2021 and 2022 showed that traditional markers of identity have acquired a symbolic character among Vilnius Jews, with their expression shaped by personal, family and cultural choices.

The aim of the article is to present a wide research picture of the ethnographic heritage of the area of the Dnipro Rapids (currently a military frontline zone), which began in the 19th century. The essential features of the local cultural heritage from this region are very problematic, because, historically, the society of new settlers here changed many times. Exploratory fieldwork continued in the 1990s. Active systematic field studies of the entire existing layer of traditional music in most areas of the current Dnipro region lasted from 2015 to 2021, and were interrupted first by the pandemic, and later by the full-scale war. Continuity of field research in this area is currently almost impossible, and it stopped because of the Russian military action there. This is why the academic investigation of already-collected material from this region is very important and more relevant, because the continuity of this local folk culture heritage was discontinued.

In ethnographic research, participant observation and ethnographic view are inseparable from talking with people, hearing their stories, words and language. They are research actions, methods and sources of knowledge that supplement and enrich each other. However, in Lithuanian ethnology, it is historically characteristic to give priority to the methodology of an interview (enquiry) based on a questionnaire instead of observation. This article discusses the ethnographic experience during research on the Covid-19 pandemic, when it appeared that data from ethnographic interviews differs from, and even contrasts with, the facts of observation. The concept of ‘patchwork ethnography’, developed by anthropologists during the pandemic (Gűnel, Varma, Watanabe 2020), became an effective methodological and theoretical approach, which opened the way to understanding the reality of the pandemic.