| Title |
Values and connotations of democracy in Lithuania : ordinary citizens vs. local elites / |
| Authors |
Matonytė, Irmina ; Rauleckas, Rimantas |
| ISBN |
9789955121893 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Language, diversity and integration in the enlarged EU : challenges and opportunities = Kalba, įvairovė ir integracija besiplečiančioje Europoje : iššūkiai ir galimybės : international interdisciplinary conference : Kaunas, Lithuania, 12-14 May 2006.. Kaunas : Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, 2006. p. 166–172.. ISBN 9789955121893 |
| Keywords [eng] |
Democracy ; Political science |
| Abstract [eng] |
The meaning and usage of the universal term ‘democracy’ differs from one nation to another. They also differ in various institutional contexts. Legislation, political speeches, public opinion and the media interpret democracy in different ways. Different usages of democracy manifest political differences, which, as the term itself indicates, are of political origin and follow universal values, which can be interpreted in many ways. On the one hand, the historical troubles of Lithuania (specific features of the national identity such as a long common history with Poland, life under the Russian tsars, national rebirth, short but very painful Soviet experience) are reflected in the contemporary usage of the term ‘democracy’ in Lithuania. They are rather invisible. On the other hand, the actual meaning of democracy is related to its assumed meaning in the Soviet times. Our thesis is rather positive one. On the basis of our empirical data, collected from a survey, and content analysis, we show that the most pertinent explanation of how democracy is understood and interpreted in contemporary Lithuania is to be captured by the “stratification” approach, i.e. the study on how various social groups, differing in their political, economic and cultural resources, perceive democracy. In this research we also show how the notion of democracy gradually expands and incorporates fresh and new meanings differentiated by individual social-political experiences and expectations. |
| Published |
Kaunas : Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, 2006 |
| Type |
Conference paper |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2006 |
