The National Consciousness among Lithuanian emigrants to the United States at the ending of the 19th and Early 20-th Century

• Anglų kalba / English
• Lietuvių kalba / Lithuanian

• Lietuvių atgimimo psichologija Amerikoje tarp senųjų emigrantų XIX a. pabaigoje - XX a. pradžioje. Bendra apžvalga
• Psychology of Lithuanian rebirth among old emigrants to America. A general survey of the period between the end of XIX c. and the beginning of XX c

LTDevynioliktame amžiuje ir dvidešimto amžiaus pradžioje tarp Lietuvos imigrantų Jungtinėse Amerikos valstijose susiformavo skirtingi nacionalinės savimonės lygmenys. Kai kurie jos elementai, pvz., kilmė, jau norminamos kalbos dialektai ir Romos katalikų tikėjimas buvo bendri visiems lygmenims. Nuo pat pradžių Amerikoje lietuviai apibūdindavo save lingvistiškai - pagal dialektą ir rajoną, iš kurio jie kilę. Jei reikėtų schematizuoti pirmąją sąmoningumo stadiją, ši būtų pagrįsta naiviu kalbos sąmoningumu. Kultūrinis ir policentrinis nacionalizmas buvo labiau būdingas apsišvietusiems emigrantams: kunigams ir nedaugeliui intelektualų. Jie vertino savo tautinę praeitį ir tradicijas, tačiau vis dar nepasiekė trečiojo lygmens, t. y. subrendusio etnocentrinio nacionalizmo, kuriam buvo būdingas laisvos nuo bet kokių ryšių ir įsipareigojimų su Lenkija, Rusija ir Prūsija-Vokietija, nepriklausomos Lietuvos sukūrimo reikalavimas [p. 365].

ENThe problem of national self-consciousness formation among the emigrants to the USA is really of great interest and importance, however very few investigations into it have been made. In the period under discussion several more characteristic forms or trends of national identification can be distinguished. The first emigrants can be characterized by a more amorphic "Polish" orientation which was convenient in better established Polish communities but simultaneously- became no obstacle in preservation of Lithuanian linguistic and ethnic identity. Such state of things seemed natural for the first emigrants and they never had any problems in this respect, since it was considered to be a continuation of longlasting honourable tradition. The second orientation can be titled as proletarian democracy or internationalism. Such emigrants identified themselves rather with one or another social group (class) than with some national community, they shared indeference to the Catholic Church. The third orientation which came to dominate could be titled as religious nationalism. The latter appeared as a. result of confrontation of nationalism with religious orientation on one side and "Polish" and proletarian element on the other. The indispensable element in this orientation is clearly realised enemy. For Lithuanians both in America and at home this enemy is Polish, the hostily towards them is continuously forstered.