‘Everyone Wants their Own Business’: Post-Soviet Deindustrialisation,
Work and Means of Liv elihood in Marijampolė
This paper asks how people made their livings in the former Soviet industrial
city of Marijampolė during the crisis that was caused by the deindustrialization
associated with the transition from a centrally planned economy
to a market economy. It analyses aspects that helped to develop and include
people in means of livelihood; the ways in which work activities produce
new workplaces and have an impact on the transformation of places in Marijampolė;
and transformations of the concept of work. It shows that means
of livelihood that are used during a work crisis tend to expand, involve
others, and form structures.
Key words: work, means of livelihood, business, post-Soviet deindustrialization,
Marijampolė.
This paper focuses on an unexpected, nonroutine and destabilising event – a fire at a tyre recycling factory, which occurred in the Lithuanian city of Alytus on 16 October 2019. It discusses how an environmental accident, which affected all residents of the city and their relationship with the environment, brought new meanings to the city. It analyses the lived experiences of the city residents as well as images, the transformation of values, social initiatives and movements that occurred in Alytus during the accident. This includes citizens’ involvement in the affairs of the city afterwards as well. The article concludes that the environmental accident mobilized the community and encouraged it to re-evaluate the meaning of the factory, and the aspects that make the city a desirable place to live.
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