Moters socialinio vaidmens konstravimas viešajame diskurse XIX a. vidurio–XX a. pradžios Lietuvoje ; The construction of the social role of women in public discourse in mid-19th – early 20th-century Lithuania

Abstract

Vytautas Kavolis noticed that an analysis of the attitude towards women is important not only to reveal specific aspects of social life but also to distil out the general sociocultural and sociopolitical tendencies of a period. Lithuanian historiography that examines the formation of the modern society in the mid-19th – early 20th-century Lithuania is especially focused on the discussion of the awakening of consciousness and activity of the various social groups. But the construction of the consciousness of women and the conception of their social role in public discourse has hitherto not been investigated. The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the construction of the social role of women in public discourse in mid-19th – early 20th-century Lithuania. The main objectives are to ascertain: from when did women begin to be seen as an important participant in the social processes in the public discourse in Lithuania; what social role was constructed for Lithuanian women by the participants in the different discourses; whether the construction of the social role of women was affected by the structure of the contemporary society and the changes to this structure; how much and how the construction of the social role of women was affected by the spread in Lithuania of the ideas of positivism, nationalism, liberalism, socialism, and Christian democracy. The investigation begins in the mid-19th century, the 1840s. At that time women became an important and popular subject of public debate for the first time in the history of modernising Lithuania. The investigation ends in the early 20th century during the period of the creation of the modern Lithuanian state and the elevation of awareness of the importance of the modern conception of the social role of women. Such research is useful for providing detailed information about the spread of modern ideas in Lithuania and to illuminate the development and problems of the formation of the modern society in Lithuania.