The article aims to analyse the characteristics of public spaces in the four districts of Kaunas (Dainava, Kalniečiai, Eiguliai, Šilainiai) that were designed and built during the Soviet era. These characteristics affect the process of identity formation. The individual perceives the material environment of the public spaces of the district through the senses of their body. These experiences are being transformed into memories that help to identify with or separate from the urban environment. The analysis of the stories of 115 respondents obtained through in-depth and semi-structured interviews revealed dichotomous characteristics: an orderly physical environment versus a disorderly environment. The roles of respondents in these narratives can be based on avoiding strategies, when a disorderly environment is avoided, and on initiative strategies, when individuals are participating in changing the physical environment. The study revealed that living in the above-mentioned parts of the city, which lack visible signs of important events of collective memory, allows for the formation of an indefinite or displaced identity.
Anotacija Straipsnyje siekiama išnagrinėti Kauno miesto demografinius pokyčius, vykusius nuo XX a. vidurio-iki XX a. pabaigos, pasitelkus kauniečių naratyvus, statistinius ir istorinius šaltinius. Pagrindinis darbo šaltinis-lauko tyrimų medžiaga, 2018 m. surinkta Kaune pagal autorės parengtą etnografinį klausimyną. Empirinei medžiagai surinkti buvo taikyti klasikiniai lauko tyrimų metodai: stebėjimas dalyvaujant, pokalbis, išsamusis, struktūruotas ir pusiau struktūruotas interviu. Straipsnyje remiamasi sakytinės istorijos teorine prieiga. Pateikėjų pasakojimai suteikė žinių apie tam tikrus praeities įvykius, atskleidė visuomenės ir atskirų jos grupių požiūrius į demografinius XX a. antrosios pusės Kauno pokyčius iš laiko perspektyvos bei jų vertinimus. PAGRINDINIAI ŽODŽIAI: Kaunas, demografinė kaita, pasakojimas, sakytinė istorija, kauniečiai, sovietmečio tyrimai.
The aim of this paper is to determine the identity of three generations of Kaunas inhabitants. Kaunas is the second biggest city in Lithuania. During the Soviet occupation, new districts such as Dainava, Kalniečiai, Eiguliai and Šilainiai were built. This paper is based on A. Assmann’s theoretical approach to communicative memory. Empirical material was collected using field research methods: in-depth, semi-structured interviews. 115 narratives were analysed, employing comparative, retrospective, narrative analysis methods. The results of this research suggest that narratives of communicative memory can help to create cultural identity related to specific urban places or the ones displaced from these places.
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