In search of ethnic identity: the case of Belarussians in Vilnius

Šiame straipsnyje analizuojami tarptautinio projekto metu atlikti kokybiniai interviu su Vilniuje gyvenančiais baltarusiais. Autorę domina, kaip skirtingų kartų informantai konstruoja savo etninę tapatybę, kokie pagrindiniai baltarusiškojo identiteto elementai, kokiais kriterijais remiantis brėžiamos ribos tarp "mes" ir "jie" (Barth 1970). Tiek baltarusių kalba, tiek kilmė buvo svarbūs baltarusiškojo identiteto elementai, tačiau sykiu nebūtini, subjektyviai pasirenkami. Vilnius kaip vieta ir Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės istorijos interpretacijos buvo svarbios informantams konstruojant baltarusiškąjį identitetą. Teigiama, jog analizuojamas atvejis patvirtina teorines prieigas, kurios etninį identitetą traktuoja kaip pasirinktinį, o etniškumą kaip socialinį ir kultūrinį konstruktąThe author analyses 11 in-depth biographical interviews that were conducted in Vilnius with informants of Belarussian origin in 2010 in the frame of a collaborative international research project "ENRI-East. European, National and Regional Identities: Nations between the States along the New Eastern Borders of the European Union". The majority of informants were born into ethnically mixed families, in a number of cases informants were speaking of an important moment in their lives when they "realized that they were Belarussians", that is they "discovered their ethnic identity". The author discusses how informants of different generations construct their ethnic identity, how the "boundaries" between "us" and "them" are constructed and maintained (Barth 1970). The data reveals that language and ethnic origin were important elements in Belarussian identity construction, however, at the same time, they were negotiated and subjectively chosen. Vilnius as a place and interpretations of the history of the Grand Duchy Lithuania were important themes running through interviews. It is argued that the empirical case supports theoretical perspectives that percieve ethnicity as a social and cultural construct and that ethnic identity is situational and ambiguousLietuvos socialinių tyrimų centra