Aukusti Robert Niemi’s contribution to Lithuanian folklore studies

• Žurnalo archyvas: straipsnio tekstas

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Archyvai; Augustas Robertas Niemis; Folkloristika; Liaudies dainos; Tautosaka; Mokslo istorija; Tautosaka; Archives; Aukusti Robert Niemi; Folklore; Folkloristics; Folksongs; History of science; Lithuanian folklore.

ENThe Finnish folklorist Aukusti Robert Niemi (1869–1931) can be considered a unique case in the cultural history of Lithuania. Following academic ambitions, he came to Lithuania at a complicated moment in the nation’s history. For many years he fostered cultural ties between Lithuania and Finland, took part in political discussions of the time, and contributed to reforms of Lithuania’s educational system. For this reason, alongside his folkloric works, facts about the professor’s cultural and political activities are also quite well integrated into the Lithuanian discourse. Yet what remains unknown (mostly due to language barriers) is the Finnish evaluation of his academic work, which would be most helpful when trying to formulate a more general view of his impact. Undoubtedly, even in the Finnish literature, a historical reflection on Niemi’s academic works during his Lithuanian period is not presented in greater depth. And this is not just because of the language barrier. That which should have been and was important to Lithuanians might have had no definitive importance for Finns both then and now looking back on his academic legacy from the perspective of time. The review article aims to present the cultural and historical situation in Lithuania in the first half of the 20th century, which influenced the contemporaneous assessment of his works, as well as introduce the tradition of evaluating the scholarly activity of the Finnish folklorist, established in Lithuanian historiography from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. The impetus to reconsider the folklorist’s legacy arises from the fact that this year marks the 150th anniversary of Niemi’s birth. [Extract, p. 68]

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