Lietuvos kaimo šeimos tyrinėtojos Angelės Vyšniauskaitės asmenybė ir veikla

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos etnologė; Angelė Vyšniauskaitė; Gyvenimo istorija; Asmenybė; Visuomeninė veikla; Vargdienės seserys; Lithuanian ethnologist; Angelė Vyšniauskaitė; Life history; Personality; Public activity; Sisters of the Poor.

EN“Stories fundamentally capture the diverse and changing nature of individual and social lives at the start of the twenty-first century”.32 So the life histories are very important in the knowledge generated by societies. This study is based on the life stories noted by the author in ethnographic fieldwork in recent years. The article analyses the personality and public activity of ethnologist Anglelė Vyšniauskaitė (1919–2006), the prominent researcher of the Lithuanian rural family. Using the life stories as examples, the author applies biographical approach to demonstrate the research of personality and her public activity. The study is organised around the life stories. Three goals are presented in this article: (1) to analyse Angelė Vyšniauskaitė’s socialization in the family as well as in school and gymnasium; (2) to investigate the development of A. Vyšniauskaitė’s personality in different social environments; (3) to explore what is the impact of social environments on A. Vyšniauskaitė’s personality and her public activity. Based on biographic method of the life stories and ethnographic data analysis, this article focuses on the influence of A. Vyšniauskaitė’s personality and her social environment on professor’s public activity. Biographical analysis of the life stories, content analysis and interpretation methods are used in this study. Biographical method, based on individual’s personal experiences and worldview, reveals and assesses the life story narratives. Biographical approach also reflects a theoretical methodological principal. In order to understand the life history of scholar, conversation, semi-structured and deep interviews are used in ethnographic fieldwork. Historical-comparative methodology, ethnographic data analysis and the interpretation method were applied for this article.The life story of ethnologist Angelė Vyšniauskaitė reveals a distinctive development of personality, formed in different social environment, changing circumstances and challenges of life. The life experience gained in different social environments formed a mature professor’s personality and a strong character based on Christian worldview. Thus, professor’s values have been directed to a higher level. It was not limited to an individual human life, but also involved the issues of Lithuanian nation and all mankind’s existence. The research findings may lead to the supposition that the life and public activity of Angelė Vyšniauskaitė realised her spiritual, scientific, civic, and public vocation. [From the publication]