Social factors as the catalyst of emigration

The objective of the study is to address the factors contributing to emigration from Latvia, in particular by highlighting the importance of social factors in the emigration decision, using the theory of push and pull factors of migration as a theoretical basis. The role of the family and the desire to improve not only the economical, but also the social and psychological conditions of families are important factors in the decision-making process, while maintaining links with Latvia. The authors argue that social factors are essential to the migration decision alongside economic factors, and in particular the family situation. The family is a resource that helps to settle in the new country of residence. The family relationship is addressed in terms of both “ontological security” and a feeling of “social anchoring”. The family remains important in maintaining links with relatives in Latvia.publishersversionPeer reviewe

PASSING IDENTITY AND ETHNIC CULTURE IN LATVIAN EMIGRANT FAMILIES

The paper discusses the problem of preserving native Latvian language and the transfer of cultural identity in Latvian diaspora. One of the central tasks for Latvia’s diaspora policy is to support preservation of Latvian language and culture in diaspora with the aim of strengthening the Latvian identity and the sense of belonging to Latvia. Support is provided to diaspora schools for preserving Latvian language, culture and identity outside of Latvia. However, for children not to lose their Latvian language skills it is important that the language is used also in the family.This paper uses a combination of a quantitative survey and in-depth interviews with the parents of children in diaspora. The aim is to ascertain the language situation in the diaspora, explore practices and perspectives on sustaining Latvian language and ethnic culture.In the theoretical aspect, the research data is approached with reference to P. Bourdieu’s view on language skills as linguistic capital, a form of cultural capital. Parent’s attention to sustaining their heritage language in emigration is analysed in relation to children’s identity formation and family communication with family members left behind. The data confirms that parents play a big role in language acquisition and sustaining by children in emigration, and parents hold the main responsibility in the process of realizing ethnic identity as a value.

THE FAMILY WITHIN THE VALUE SYSTEM AND FAMILY VALUES IN THE CONTEXT OF LATVIA TODAY: INSIGHTS FROM THE EUROPEAN VALUES SURVEY

The formation of a person's values and mindset shift is a process that takes place throughout a person's life, but views on basic values are instilled in the family from early childhood and their formation continues during the socialisation process at school and in society. The family plays a primary role in the transmission of values as important elements of an individual's character, the teaching of which largely determines the individual's life path. Just as family structures have changed over time and vary from culture to culture, so too have attitudes towards the family, its relationship to society and its relative value in the social order. This paper analyses the place of the family as a value in the overall value system of the individual and identifies the value beliefs that currently prevail within the family itself. The main research questions to be answered are: (1) are there differences in views – and what are these differences – on the value of the family among different groups in Latvian society; (2) what values are transferred in the family and passed down to children? The analysis of the problem is based on Latvian data from the fifth phase of the European Values Survey (EVS) in 2021 (n=1335).

LU 76. konference: tēzes un raksti

Krājumu veido LU Filozofijas un socioloģijas institūta pētnieku Latvijas Universitātes 76. starptautiskās zinātniskās konferences sekciju darbā 2018. gada 15. un 16. februārī nolasīto prioritārajam projektam “Kritiskā domāšana, inovācija, konkurētspēja un globalizācija” veltīto referātu tēzes, kā arī vairāki raksti, kuri tapuši uz šajā konferencē nolasīto referātu pamata. LU FSI pētniekiem konference bija ne tikai atskaite par otrajā pētniecības gadā projektā paveikto, bet tajā pētnieki diskutēja arī par to, kā paplašināt pētāmo tēmu loku, pievēršoties vairākiem Latvijas sabiedrībai aktuāliem jautājumiem. Piemēram, ja Filozofijas un socioloģijas institūta filozofi projekta 1. posma noslēguma seminārā pārsvarā diskutēja par kritiskās domāšanas konceptu un tās lietojuma iespējām, tad LU 76. konferencē jau iezīmējās noturīga interese par kritiskās domāšanas un medijpratības sasaisti, kas 2018. gada beigās noslēdzās ar ekspertu semināru cikla organizēšanu sadarbībā ar Eiropas Kopienas pārstāvniecību Latvijā. Vairāki pētnieki pievērsās jautājumam par inovācijas iespējām humanitārajās zinātnēs utt. Konferences referāti atspoguļoja dažādas pieejas un metodoloģijas, sniedzot ieskatu vēl nepabeigtajos pētījumos, bet tikai to norisē un pirmajos rezultātos. Pētījumu gaitai lasītājs aicināts sekot turpmākajās LU FSI pētnieku zinātniskajās publikācijās

Sima Qian’s „Siji” as a Novelty in the Chinese Historiography

Bakalaura darba nosaukums ir „Sima Cjeņ „Vēstures pieraksti” kā novitāte Ķīnas historiogrāfijā.” Sima Cjeņ (135.g. – 86.g. p.m.ē.) ir visievērojamākais un ietekmīgākais senās Ķīnas vēsturnieks. Viņa „Vēstures pieraksti” tiek uzskatīts par bagātīgāko un kompleksāko darbu par Ķīnas vēsuri no senatnes līdz Haņ dinastijai. Darba pamatmērķis ir padziļināti iepazīties ar „Vēstures pierakstu” apjomīgo materiālu un izvērtēt tā tapšanas priekšnoteikumus, apstākļus un novitāti Ķīnas vēstures pierakstīšanas tradīcijā. Darbs sastāv no 6 daļām. 1.daļā aplūkota vēstures pierakstīšanas nozīme un tradīcijas Ķīnā. 2.daļā aplūkota „Vēstures pierakstu” tapšana un struktūra, analizējot arī Sima Cjeņ biogrāfiju šī darba tapšanas kontekstā. 3.daļā analizētas biogrāfijas kā jauns žanrs „Vēstures pierakstos” un Ķīnas historiogrāfijā. 4.daļā analizēti „Vēstures pierakstu” traktāti un tabulas, vērtējot to novitāti. 5.daļā ar Sima Cjeņ piemēru analizēta vēsturnieka kā personības nozīme darba tapšanā. 6.daļā aplūkots Sima Cjeņ devums nākamajām Ķīnas vēsturnieku paaudzēm. Sima Cjeņ „Vēstures pierakstu” novitāte vispirms tiek saistīta ar jauna veida pieeju vēsturnieka lomai un notikumu fiksēšanai. Viņa „Vēstures pierakstu” struktūru kā paraugu izmantojuši Ķīnas vēlākie vēsturnieki. Sima Cjeņ izveidojis jaunu žanru – biogrāfijas (liedžuaņ), kas vēlāk tika plaši izmantotas Ķīnas historiogrāfijā un literatūrā. Arī Sima Cjeņ hronoloģiskās tabulas (biao) un traktāti (šu) saturiski ir jaunievedums, kas palīdz labāk izprast vēsturiskos procesus. Sima Cjeņ iezīmē jaunu izpratni pa vēsturnieka lomu: vēsturnieks nav tikai hronists, bet aktīvi darbojas faktu vākšanā, atlasē un noformēšanā.The title of this Bachelor’s paper is „Sima Qian`s „Shiji” as a novelty in the Chinese historiography”. Sima Qian (135 B.C. – 86 B.C.) is the most influential and respected imperial historian in China. His work „Shiji” („Records of the Grand Historian of China”) is acknowledged to be the richest and most complex book recording the history of ancient China up to the Han Dynasty. The aim of this work is to examine the „Shiji” voluminous material and to evaluate prerequisites and conditions of its creation, as well as its novelty in the Chinese tradition of recording the history. This paper consists of 6 Chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the tradition of recording history and the role of history in China. Chapter 2 looks at the the creation and structure of the „Shiji", as well as analyse the biography of Sima Qian in the context of writing this work. Chapter 3 analyzes the biography as a new genre in the „Shiji" and Chinese historiography in general. Chapter 4 analyzes „treatises” and „historical tables” of „Shiji" in terms of their novelty. Using Sima Qian as an example Chapter 5 analyzes the personal role of the historian in the creation of the work. Section 6 deals with the contribution of Sima Qian to the future generations of Chinese historians. During the reseach the author has found that the novelty of Sima Qian`s „Shiji" is first associated with a new kind of approach to the role of the historian as well as a new kind of approach to recording events. Later Chinese historians have used the structure of his „Shiji" as a model for writing history. Sima Qian created a new genre - the biographies (liezhuan), which was later widely used in the Chinese historiography and literature. Sima Qian’s chronological tables (biao) and treatises (shu) are also an innovation that contributes a better understanding of historical processes. Sima Qian marks a new understanding of the role of the historian: historian is not only a chronicler. He also actively takes part in the gathering, selection and presentation of facts

“Early Han History” and its Impact on the Tradition of the Recording Dynastic Histories in China

Maģistra darba nosaukums ir „„Agrīnās Haņ dinastijas vēsture” un tās ietekme uz dinastiju vēstures pierakstīšanas tradīciju Ķīnā”. Katra dinastija, balstoties uz aktuālajiem pierakstiem, rakstīja iepriekšējo dinastiju vēstures. Šīs oficiālās standarta dinastiju vēstures, t.s. dženši 正史, pazīst ar nosaukumu „Divdesmit četras vēstures” (Eršisi ši 二十四史). Kā pirmo tieši vienas dinastijas vēstures aprakstam veltīto darbu uzskata vēsturnieka un galma ierēdņa Baņ Gu un viņa tēva Baņ Bjao sastādīto „Agrīnās Haņ dinastijas vēsturi” (Haņ šu 漢書). Baņ Gu „Agrīnās Haņ dinastijas vēsturē” izstrādājis jaunu struktūru dinastiju vēstures pierakstīšanā, kas vēlāk izmantota par paraugu tieši dinastiju vēstures formātam. Darba pamatmērķis ir padziļināti iepazīt „Agrīnās Haņ dinastijas vēstures” materiālu un izvērtēt tā tapšanas priekšnoteikumus, kā arī novitāti Ķīnas vēstures pierakstīšanas tradīciju kontekstā. Baņ Gu „Agrīnās Haņ dinastijas vēsture” ir nozīmīgs darbs Ķīnas historiogrāfijā. Tas piedāvā paraugu dinastijas vēstures sastādīšanai, piedāvājot gan darba strukturēšanas principus, gan norādot uz šāda darba ideoloģisko ievirzi. Baņ Gu radīja modeli, kuram ir viegli sekot, īpaši tiem, kas vēlākajos gados bija iesaistīti kolektīvos standarta vēstures rakstīšanas projektos. Kopš Baņ Gu „Agrīnās Haņ dinastijas vēstures” var runāt par dinastiju vēsturi. Baņ Gu izstrādāja struktūru un standartus, ko, dažādā apjomā, izmantoja vēlākās dinastijas. Dažādos periodos tiek izmantotas ne visas no Baņ Gu piedāvātajām sadaļām, taču tas paliek kā ideālais modelis, kuram seko vissīkāk izstrādātās dinastiju vēstures. Maģistra darbs sastāv no 6 daļām. Darbu papildina pielikums. Darba apjoms ir 64 lapas.The title of this Master’s paper is ““Early Han History” and its Impact on the Tradition of the Recording Dynastic Histories in China”. Based on records of the time, every dynasty wrote histories of previous dynasties (24 of those in total). These “Standard Histories” (zhengshi 正史) are also known as the “Twenty-Four Histories” (Ershisi shi 二十四史). The “Book of Han” or “History of the Former Han” (Han shu) was composed by a historian and court official Ban Gu and his father and it is considered to be the first work of this form to cover a single dynasty. In the “Book of Han” Ban Gu initiated a new structure for recording histories of previous dynasties, which was later used as a model specifically for the format for dynastic histories. The aim of this paper is to examine the material of the “History of the Former Han”, evaluate prerequisites and conditions of its creation and its novelty in the Chinese tradition of recording the history. Ban Gu’s “History of the Former Han” is an important work in Chinese historiography. It offers a model for compiling a history of a dynasty, providing principles for structuring the work and pointing to the ideological line of such work. Ban Gu created a model that is easy to follow, especially to those who were involved in collective projects of writing official histories in later years. Starting from Ban Gu’s “History of the Former Han” it is possible to talk about dynastic histories. Ban Gu developed a structure and standards that were, to a different extent, used by later dynasties. In different time periods not all of sections offered by Ban Gu were used, but his work remained as the ideal model for recording dynastic histories. The most elaborate dynastic histories were written following his example. This Master’s paper consists of 6 chapters. This paper is supplemented with an appendix. This paper consists of 64 pages

“Latvia Will Always Be My Home”: Latvian Emigrants in Sweden After 1991 in the Latvian National Oral History Collection

Latvians are one of the most mobile European nations. Latvian migration to Sweden has a long history. After the II World War, more than 4,000 people moved from Latvia to Sweden, fleeing Soviet power. The second wave of immigration to Sweden began with the restoration of Latvian independence in 1991 and continues to this day. Both of these waves of migration are documented in the Latvian National Oral History collection. This article analyzes life-story interviews with expatriates in Sweden after the restoration of independence and explores how the migrants themselves describe their experiences in their new home country, their reflections on Latvians, Latvianness, and the preservation of national identity in emigration.

MAINTAINING HERITAGE LANGUAGE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE FAMILIES IN THE LATVIAN DIASPORA

As one of the European most mobile European nations due to migration, Latvia provides rich opportunities to trace identity changes through the revelation of an individual\u27s experience. The study analyses the experience of transmitting Latvian as a heritage language in the emigrant families, emphasizing the importance of language as a carrier of ethnic identity, and with a special focus on language and identity transmission, viewed from a multi-generational perspective. The peculiarity of individual memories and experiences during generational change opens a new view of historical events as impulses for human reaction and action. From the theoretical point of view, the data is approached with reference to P.Bourdieu`s view on language skills as linguistic capital, a form of cultural capital. Knowledge of the language of the host country is one of the key skills for successful integration. In turn, knowledge of the mother tongue is an important dimension of ethnic identity and belonging and many of the migrants try to nourish their ethnic identity by preserving traditions and maintaining their mother tongue in the family and in the nearest social network. The data confirms the most important factors contributing to the preservation of the heritage language of emigrant children are parents who speak their mother tongue at home, as well as friends of the same ethnic background and supportive ethnic networks. The paper uses a combination of both large-scale quantitative longitudinal survey data and in-depth interviews with Latvian emigrants from the Latvian National Oral History Archive

Social factors as the catalyst of emigration

The objective of the study is to address the factors contributing to emigration from Latvia, in particular by highlighting the importance of social factors in the emigration decision, using the theory of push and pull factors of migration as a theoretical basis. The role of the family and the desire to improve not only the economical, but also the social and psychological conditions of families are important factors in the decision-making process, while maintaining links with Latvia. The authors argue that social factors are essential to the migration decision alongside economic factors, and in particular the family situation. The family is a resource that helps to settle in the new country of residence. The family relationship is addressed in terms of both “ontological security” and a feeling of “social anchoring”. The family remains important in maintaining links with relatives in Latvia

FAMILY VALUES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF DIFFERENT GENERATIONS IN LATVIAN SOCIETY TODAY

The development of a person\u27s values and mindset shift are processes that take place throughout a person\u27s life, but views on basic values are instilled in the family from early childhood and their development continues during the socialization process at school and in society. The family plays a primary role in the transmission of values as important elements of an individual\u27s character, the teaching of which largely determines the individual\u27s life path. Just as family structures have changed over time and vary from culture to culture, so too have attitudes towards the family. The article examines the place of the family in the individual\u27s value system and analyses the differences in the views on the family of different age groups (generations). The analysis uses quantitative data from the European Values Survey, Phase 5 in Latvia (2021, n=1335). The data show that despite the diversity of family models and the broadening of an understanding of the family, the traditional perception of the family prevails among the Latvian population and in the hierarchy of values, the family is still the most important value in the overall scale of values in the population. The factor that most significantly predicts differences in values and attitudes towards the family is the age of the individual (membership of different generations). Young people (under 29) are significantly more likely than others to see marriage as an outdated form of relationship but are more tolerant of the potential of homosexual couples to become good parents. With an increase in age, the proportion of those who hold traditional views increases proportionally: older generations are generally much more supportive of the institution of marriage, the role of children in marriage, the view that having children is a duty to society, etc