Etninio tapatumo pokytis: Gervėčių krašto lietuviai

Abstract

The paper analyzes the ethnic identity change that took place in the Lithuanian community of the Gervėčiai district now in Belarus. The empirical data consist of thirty-five semi-structured interviews and data collected through participatory observation during a field study carried out in 2014 in Lithuania and Belarus. Ethnic identity change is defined as a change in one of the three components of ethnic identity: self-identification, external cultural characteristics, and relationship with others. Following this model, the paper examines ethnic identity change of Lithuanians in the Gervėčiai district; reconstructs the local conception of being Lithuanian; examines identity change at the community level; and discusses the influence of the ethnic context on ethnic identity.