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This book deals with the spatial concepts that two erstwhile neighboring cultures, Lithuanian and German, associated with one physical space-a Lithuanian region in Prussia. Covering a period of five centuries, it explores how, when, and why these concepts have been developed and transformed regulating the spatial imagination of several generations.
List of contents
Acknowledgments List of Figures Introduction Chapter 1. East Prussia: An Arena for Cultural Meetings and Conflicts Chapter 2. Lithuania in Prussia: Changing Concepts in the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries Chapter 3. Lithuania as a Peculiar Region of Germany (1850s�10s) Chapter 4. The Invention of Lithuania Minor (1870�10s) Chapter 5. Interaction of the German and Lithuanian Concepts of Prussian Lithuania in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Chapter 6. Battles over Spaces "of Their Own� Changes after 1918 Concluding Remarks Bibliography Index of Names Geographic Index ç¸ubject Index
About the author
Vasilijus Safronovas is principal investigator at the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, at Klaip¿da University. He has published widely on issues of memory, identity, and cultural contact. His recent study
Kampf um Identität: Die ideologische Auseinandersetzung in Memel/Klaipeda im 20. Jahrhundert (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2015) was awarded the Immanuel-Kant-Forschungspreis from the German Federal Government.
Summary
Explores the spatial concepts that two erstwhile neighboring cultures, Lithuanian and German, once associated with one physical space - a Lithuanian region in Prussia. Covering a period of five centuries, the author explores how, when, and, most importantly, why these concepts have been developed and transformed, regulating the spatial imagination of several generations.
Additional text
“By bringing the neglected case of Prussian Lithuania into a
dialogue with research on the Russian Empire, Safronovas’ book fills an
important gap in scholarship, and enables us to build up a picture of the
complex articulation of ideas about ‘Lithuania’ that occurred within different
states and across borders. … The book is well written, extensively researched
and draws attention to a region which has often been overlooked in the wider
discussion on spatial concepts of Lithuania. One of the particular strengths of
the book is Safronovas’ ability to bring German, Lithuanian, Russian and Polish
sources into a dialogue with one another to historicise the spatial discourse
on ‘Lithuania’ within the multilingual and pre-national context of the long
19th century. The book no doubt occupies a key place in the historiography of
19th-century Lithuanian and Prussian history, but also raises many questions
and topics that will resonate with scholars who are interested more broadly in
the invention and construction of national spaces spanning administrative or
imperial border regions.” —Catherine Gibson, European University Institute,
Lithuanian Historical Studies Vol. 22
