When the nations is open: some notes on the ideas of nation and boundary in Stasys Šalkauskis’ thought

ENDuring the first Lithuanian independence, Lithuanian philosopher Stasys Šalkauskis elaborated an idea of Lithuania linked to the peculiar geo-political and historical situation of the “Lithuanian nation”. The idea of boundary can be considered the focus of this elaboration linking the different parts of the nation–people and ‘cultural classes’- to the world’s unity. The inclusiveness of the idea of border gives a possibility to preserve national characters and to relate the nation with diversity. In a context of political conflicts, as it was in the interwar period, this model represents a challenge of nationalism and a proposal for an open nation.