Sovietinio žemės ūkio transformacija

The Soviet past is crucial in understanding the processes of transformation of the Lithuanian kolkhoz system into the farming practices of free-market economy. The violent and forced incorporation of the nation-states into the Soviet Union radically transformed societies. In our analysis of kolkhoz system and its transformations, we use two different concepts – Soviet modernity and modernity of the Soviet period. These concepts let us to approach the agricultural project of the Soviet collective farming as an alternative system of social institutions for implementation of industrial farming of modern society. The concept of entangled modernity refers to interaction of two trends of modernization and defines the kolkhoz as a hybrid or a result of intertwining of two models of modernity – the universal and the Soviet one. By applying the concept of entangled modernity and hybrids to the interpretation of the kolkhoz’s post-Soviet transformation, the article explores the experiences of social actors and the inevitable human and material losses of the hybrid’s transformation. In our theoretical interpretation, we use data from interviews with former agents of the kolkhoz system and legislative documents.Lietuvos kolūkinio žemės ūkio transformacijos į rinkos ekonomiką savitumas, lyginant su kitomis Centrinės Europos visuomenėmis, yra šio sektoriaus sąsajos su sovietine praeitimi. Į Sovietų Sąjungą inkorporuotos šalys patyrė nepalyginti radikalesnę totalitarinės valstybės prievartą ir transformaciją. Straipsnyje kolūkinis žemės ūkio projektas ir jo transformacija analizuojami taikant sovietinės modernybės ir sovietinio laikotarpio modernybės sąvokas. Jos leidžia sovietinį kolūkį interpretuoti kaip universalaus moderniosios visuomenės industrinio žemės ūkio alternatyvų variantą. Abiejų modernybės modelių sąveika apibūdinama susipynusios modernybės sąvoka, pagal kurią kolūkis – tai universalaus modernios visuomenės žemės ūkio ir sovietinio projekto susipynimo hibridas. Taikant susipynusios modernybės ir hibridų koncepciją posovietinei kolūkių transformacijai aiškinti, straipsnyje atskleidžiamos socialinių veikėjų patirtys, neišvengiami kolūkinio hibrido žmogiškieji bei materialiniai nuostoliai. Teorinės interpretacijos grindžiamos interviu bei dokumentų analizės duomenimis

Pasirinkimas atidėti universitetines studijas šiuolaikinėse Lietuvos ir Vokietijos visuomenėse : daktaro disertacija : socialiniai mokslai, sociologija (05 S)

Disertacija rengta 2010-2014 m. Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto Socialinių mokslų fakultete, Sociologijos katedrojeBibliografija: p. 142-150, ir išnašoseSocialinių mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Creation of rural communities after Lithuania acquired independence

Introduction. The processes that took place in the second half of the 20th century in the Soviet Union influenced all the former nations. Lithuania, having been part of the Soviet Union in 1940–1989, experienced the influence of the phenomenon of modernisation. The adaptation of Western modernisation in the case of soviet modernisation was particularly specific in rural areas where there was massive collectivisation, agricultural mechanisation, chemistry, industrialisation and electrification. Following the specific modernisation processes within the framework of the totalitarian regime, in addition to the abovementioned structural advantages, it also characterised the negative features, especially in the rural social space. The reality of the modernised (industrialised) rural countryside of Lithuania could be described distributing it to three main stages: soviet period (since 1940–1990); transformational (1990–2004) and post-transformational (2004 onwards after Lithuania’s integration to EU). In and after the transformational stage, the effects of a centralised system of total control were particularly painful for some of the most modernised soviet-era conglomerates, where the processes of social empowerment of rural communities in the context of the “bottom-up” EU context were particularly problematic. Aim. The aim of the study is to reveal the conditions of creation of rural community organisation in post-soviet Lithuania. Results. The post-soviet rural reality faced crucial starting conditions that were caused by soviet policy implementations during the occupation period. The conditions of rural social field were the result of the so-called specific process of soviet modernisation, where the system control abandoned the existence of community as a social agent: [...]Socialinių mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Opting to Postpone University Studies in the Contemporary Societies of Lithuania and Germany

Disertacijoje siekiama identifikuoti socialinius veiksnius, veikiančius atidėtų universitetinių studijų pasirinkimą, ir atskleisti pasirinkimo atidėti studijas sąsajas su skirtingais visuomenės raidos tipais Lietuvoje ir Vokietijoje (makro- ir mikrolygmenyse). Sociologinė atidėtų studijų analizė aprašoma kaip individualių ir struktūrinių teorinių požiūrių derinys. Darbe pasirinkimas atidėti studijas aiškinamas pasitelkiant teorines perspektyvas, apimančias tiek funkcionalistines (Merton, 1968) racionalaus veikėjo veiksmą aiškinančias teorijas (Elster, 1989; 2000), tiek vėlyvąsias modernybės ir postmodernių teorinių analizių perspektyvas (Fromm, 2005; Giddens, 2000; Goffman, 1963; Bourdieu, 2003; Inglehart, 2005; Bauman, 2011; Baudrillard, 2010). Ši disertacija rašyta pasitelkiant žmogiškojo vystymosi teorinį modelį, kuris paaiškina modernioje visuomenėje vykstančius procesus bei su jais susijusią vertybinių orientacijų kaitą. Darbe pateikiama Lietuvoje ir Vokietijoje surinktos empirikos analizė. Pasirinkusieji atidėti studijas Lietuvoje galėtų simbolizuoti lakmuso popierėlį, indikuojantį, kokiam moderniosios visuomenės etapui ši grupė pagal savo elgesio modelį galėtų būti priskiriama. Lietuvoje ji dar maža, tačiau gausėjanti. Šiuo atveju galima pažymėti, kad stipri ir priešiška aplinkos reakcija į nusprendžiančius atidėti studijas net ir tarp tos pačios generacijos atstovų liudija, jog apie pomaterialias vertybes bei vėlyvąją modernybę de facto galime kalbėti tik kaip apie tam tikrą dar tik ryškėti pradedantį pokytį.Dissertation aims to identify social factors that influence the choice to postpone studies and reveal connections between the choice to postpone studies with different types of society’s development in Lithuania and Germany (macro and micro levels). Sociological analysis of postponing studies is described as a combination of individual and structural theoretical attitudes. Following the end of sociology school dominated by functionalistic theories, no other prevailing theories rose, therefore every individual researcher was left with an open space to prepare and reveal research problems in various lights. That is why in this work postponing of studies is explained by exploiting theoretical perspectives starting with functionalists (Merton, 1968) and theories explaining acts of rational actor (Elster, 1989, 2000) and finishing with perspectives of late modernity era and analysis of post-modern theories (Fromm, 2005; Giddens, 2000; Goffman,1963; Bourdieu, 2003; Inglehart; 2005; Bauman 2011; Baudrillard, 2010 et al.). This dissertation was written in the light of humanistic development theoretical model, which explains the processes within the modern society and the change in values that is linked to these processes. The analysis embraces collected empirical data from Lithuania and Germany. Those that choose to postpone studies in Lithuania could symbolise a litmus paper, indicating, to which stage of modern society the group belongs to judging by its behaviour. It is still small, but growing, in Lithuania. On this occasion it can be noted that strong and opposing environmental reaction to those that choose to postpone studies – even amongst peers – indicates that we can only talk post-material values and late modernity de facto to be a change that can hardly be felt yet.Sociologijos katedraSocialinių mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Phenomenon of gap year studies in Lithuania

Lithuania's higher education system is based on the aims declared in the EU documents, which reflect the notion of higher education system as belonging to the society of late modernity. The investigation is primarily focused on how and to what extent Lithuania's higher education system fulfils the aims raised in the EU documents. Moreover, it could be examined, to what degree the present situation of higher education accords with the processes observable in the higher education of late modernity. Thus, it is essential to explain to what extent the phenomenon of higher education is shaped by the occurring processes within certain society. Taking certain modernization theories as a background (namely R. Inglehart, Z. Baumann, A. Giddens), the article examines one of the processes of late modernity society, i.e. the gap year phenomenon. According to Ronald Inglehart's theoretical model of modernization, the gap year could be ascribed to those societies, in which individuals feel relatively safer and as a result, accentuate the priority of postmaterialistic values more intensively than in the earlier stages of the modern society. According to Eurostudent data on the gap year, it could be deduced, that high school graduates of a present-day Lithuania do not yet possess the orientation of post-materialistic values. The gap year phenomenon could also be regarded as the consuming experience gained in the period of liquid modernity, the possibility to acquire auto therapy and self maturit

Conditions of community formation in Lithuania’s countryside in the Soviet period

The main goal of the article was to reveal the particularities of Soviet modernization of Lithuanian agriculture and to show how this modernization was related to the community development of the countryside. Investigating Lithuanian Soviet modernization and its impact on the rural community relationship, authors used the case of one of the richest Lithuanian horticulture farm which was also a demonstrative farm at that time. So it could be assumed that Klausučiai is one of the best samples of Soviet modernization in Lithuania. Empirical data were collected during the period from April 2005 to May 2007, using the qualitative method; 26 informants were questioned. The investigation proved that the core point of Soviet agriculture modernization was agricultural production. Kolkhoz (or the state farm) serves as a symbol of Soviet rural modernization like a factory of agricultural goods, on which directly depended all other spheres of life as well as the communication of rural people. The life of each rural person totally depended on the kolkhoz system. That is why the kolkhoz rather destroyed the community of autonomous people than strengthened it

Gap year students in Lithuania : the value orientations of children from wealthy social groups

The paper seeks to understand the trajectories of students who defer entry to university. The study was conducted in Lithuania, a former Soviet Union republic. The phenomenon of a ‘gap year’ is usually associated with young people, who decide not to enter higher education schools immediately after receiving secondary education, instead they choose to spend a year volunteering, working or engaging in other activities. This article analyses the choice of taking a gap year from the perspective of rational choice theory, complemented by human development theory, which was developed by R. Inglehart and his colleagues. The latter theory allows discovering relation between the spreading of the gap year phenomenon in developed European countries and the emergence as well as development of post-materialist values from the macro-level perspective. The theoretical analysis is based on semi-structured interview data collected in LithuaniaSocialinių mokslų fakultetasSociologijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Soviet inheritance and social movement in the contemporary Lithuanian countryside

Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Conditions of community formation in Lithuania's countryside in the Soviet period

Straipsnyje analizuojamos sovietinės kaimo modernizacijos pasekmės ir jos poveikis dabarties kaimo bendruomenės formavimuisiThe main goal of the article was lo reveal the particularities of Soviet modernization of Lithuanian agriculture and to show how Ihis modernization was related to the community development of the countryside. Investigating Lithuanian Soviet modernization and its impact on the rural community relationship, authors used the case of one of the richest Lithuanian horticulture farm which was also a demonstrative farm at that time. So it could be assumed thai Klausučiai is one of the best samples of Soviet modernization in Lithuania. Empirical data were collected during the period from April 2005 to May 2007, using the qualitative method; 26 informants were questioned. The investigation proved that the core point of Soviet agriculture modernization was agricultural production. Kolkhoz (or the stale farm) serves as a symbol of Soviet rural modernization like a factory of agricultural goods, on which directly depended all other spheres of life as well as the communication of rural people. The lite of each rural person totally depended on the kolkhoz system. That is why the kolkhoz rather destroyed the community of autonomous people than strengthened itVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Guidelines for Research Ethics and Research Integrity in Citizen Science

Students and researchers might have diverse ideas about and motivations for citizen science (CS) projects. To prevent uncertainty, we address ethical concerns emerging in CS projects and in CS in general, specifically, the transferability of the ethical skills and knowledge gained within academia (e.g. through studying and research conduct). We dedicate these Guidelines for Research Ethics and Research Integrity in Citizen Science primarily to Masters and Doctoral students and their supervisors, to facilitate CS-related research activities (i.e. mainstream CS) in line with the values of academic integrity. Using a pool of 85 papers, we identified nine topics covering 22 customised guidelines and supplemented them with further readings to build more in-depth knowledge.“Bridging Integrity in Higher Education, Business and Society” (BRIDGE, 2020-1-SE01-KA203-077973