Socialinė atskirtis ir geras gyvenimas Lietuvoje : kolektyvinė monografija

Abstract

This monograph focusing on groups at risk of social exclusion reflects current issues in the contemporary Lithuanian welfare system in which the dilemmas of neoliberalism, social justice and egalitarianism as well as the constant search for a better life are all intertwined. Difficult life stories of the members of these groups allow us to take a closer look at social exclusion in everyday life, where one often hopes to answer the questions of who s/he is in a society and to what extent s/he is recognized as its effective member. All the social groups examined in the monograph – single mothers raising young children, chronically ill persons, alcoholics, young unemployed men, homeless men, and members of the Evangelical Baptist and Word of Faith communities – face similar issues of social acceptance, normativity and subjective wellbeing. Economic structural transformations determine social exclusion of some of the researched social groups, and cultural behaviour models prevalent in society make other groups excluded. In the latter case, any deviation from the accepted norms in society can become a reason for marginalization or stigmatization. Often, both material and social deprivation turn into a shame-inducing exclusion from social norms that have proven to be impossible to realize. That is why the analysis of different forms and content of social exclusion presented in this study enables us to rethink schemes of normativity related to economic welfare standards, the vision of good life, the understanding of a healthy body, gendered behaviour, appropriate citizenship existing in Lithuania and the violence of these schemes. If we consider social exclusion to be a violation of social norms or, in many cases, the lack of skills to achieve them, in order to be socially included we must either to conform to these schemes of normativity by all means or oppose them consistently and vehemently in searching for alternative ways of survival.[...]

Knygoje kalbama apie skirtingas socialinės rizikos grupių atskirties formas, pasitelkiant tam tikrų socialinių grupių – vienišų motinų, sergančiųjų lėtinėmis ligomis, alkoholikų, jaunų bedarbių vyrų, benamių ir religinių bendruomenių – atvejus. Tai leidžia kelti platesnius klausimus apie šiuolaikinės Lietuvos gerovės sistemos aktualijas, kuriose susipina diskursyvusis neoliberalizmas, socialinio teisingumo ir egalitarizmo dilemos bei kasdienės geresnio gyvenimo paieškos. Studijoje pateikta įvairialypė socialinės atskirties formų analizė taip pat leidžia permąstyti mūsų visuomenėje egzistuojančias normatyvumo normas, susijusias su ekonominės gerovės standartais, gero gyvenimo įsivaizdavimu, sveiko kūno suvoktimi ir tinkamu piliečio elgesiu. Knyga bus naudinga ir įdomi visiems, kurie domisi platesniais gerovės valstybės klausimais.