Lietuvių ir latvių tarpusavio santykiai Lietuvos ir Latvijos pasienyje

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Etniniai santykiai; Evangelikai liuteronai; Katalikai; Latviai; Lietuviai; Lietuvos ir Latvijos pasienis; Catholics; Ethnic relations; Evangelical Lutherans; Latvians; Lithuanian and Latvian border; Lithuanians.

ENBased on the author’s field studies, the article describes the characteristics of relationship between Lithuanians and Latvians in Šventoji, Skuodas, Žeimelis and Biržai regions and the attitude of one nation towards another. The Lithuanians living in Šventoji and Skuodas regions were less interested in the culture of their neighbours Latvians, but they lived together in peace and in a neighborly way. The Lithuanians’ living in Šventoji assessment of another is more stereotyped from their own cultural position. Those living in Skuodas noticed a surprising number of domestic differences; the Latvians seemed to them to be quite different, but they maintained friendly relations. The Lithuanians from Žeimelis region were more curious, maintained closer relations with the Latvians, were well acquainted with the Latvian culture and critical of their own. For the Lithuanians from Biržai region it was rather difficult to name Lithuanian and Latvian differences due to assimilation and acculturation processes in this region. But they drew attention to the character traits: Lithuanian submissiveness and Latvian arrogance. In their turn, the Latvians living in Lithuania stressed that Lithuanians and Latvians had a lot of similarities, good relationships and avoided generalizations. Only the Latvians living in Šventoji region described the Lithuanians more negatively. Relationship between these two nations may be explained by confessional differences and socio-economic factors, which emerged in the background of the history of migration. Religious difference was more pronounced in Šventoji region: people avoided mixed marriages, Catholics expressed a negative attitude towards Evangelical Lutherans. In Žeimelis and Biržai regions the same Lithuanian and Latvian Catholicism determined not only peaceful relationships, but also an active assimilation. Socio-economic factors influenced ethnic relations most during the interwar period. [From the publication]

• Etnologija / Ethnology
• Istorija / History