"Prijaukinta" praeitis: istorijos reikšmė ir jos sklaidos formos puoselėjant tautinę idėją 1883-1904 metais

ENThe development of modernization, nationalism, and national historiographic traditions in the Western world of the 19th century gave rise to intellectual as well as institutional professionalization of the science of history. However, the patterns of development of the said science common in the West were not characteristic of Lithuania which lived throughout the 19th century in the form of cultural tradition deprived of political independence. However, in the context of national movements which evolved in the 19th century, it did not take long for Lithuania to bestow special attention on the versions of national history as well. Simonas Daukantas (1793-1864), the author of the history of Lithuania in Lithuanian, was a prominent starting-point, yet the truly established connections with the past of Lithuania, surpassing fragile individual initiatives, can be traced back to the final quarter of the 19th century. It was the period that witnessed the formation of conditions more favourable for cultural activities to emerge: the Lithuanian cultural elite was about to come into being; and the number of educated and financially unconstrained people dedicated to the development of the national culture was growing. Interest in the past intensified during the Lithuanian national revival in 1883-1904. Exceptional interest in the history of Lithuania and the Lithuanian nation acquired a surprising pace and a diversity of forms. History and national historical images were becoming an integral and mandatory component of the national identity. The article offers a classification of the said interest in the past encompassing eight thematic contexts and ways of establishing connection with the past. Of course, the classification is conditional. Nevertheless, it is used as a framework for taking a new look at the role of history in the service of the idea of national Lithuania. [From the publication]