Lietuviškojo tapatumo daryba transmigracinėse patirtyse: šiuolaikiniai migrantai iš Lietuvos Niujorke

Abstract

In the processes of Europeanization and globalization the analyses of Lithuanian identity are in great demand and are involved in scholarly and popular discourses as well. Debates about the definition of Lithuanian identity and looking for possible ways of arguing for the need of its preservation are significant in the contemporary dynamic, with the shifting borders of a world where new forms of various identities are being created. This article is based on anthropological field work conducted from April to June 2008 in New York. The data were collected using social qualitative methods, such as open-ended question interviews, observations, and participant observations. Theoretical paradigms of the concepts of identity and transmigration are meaningful and create a wider context for the empirical data in analyzing and trying to focus on the problematic question: In what situations and forms is contemporary Lithuanian migrants’ ethnic identity created while experiencing transmigration? Cross-border or transnational relations, including direct physical and emotional connections with Lithuania, relatives, and friends in a homeland, empower contemporary Lithuanian migrants to create, recreate and manipulate their ethnic identity in various situations and contexts.