This year marks 30 years since Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) began conducting research into the history of the Lithuanian diaspora. In November 1994, the Emigration Studies Centre, later renamed the Lithuanian Emigration Institute (LEI), was established at VMU. Over the past three decades, it has become not only a renowned institution in Lithuania and globally for collecting and preserving the archival heritage of the diaspora but also a research centre for the cultural, political, and scholarly heritage of the Lithuanian diaspora, having established strong connections with Lithuanians worldwide.
On this occasion, on 8 November, the VMU Lithuanian Emigration Institute held a conference titled “Research on the Lithuanian Diaspora: Expanding Horizons and Future Challenges” and introduced the Bronius Kviklys Reading Room. On the eve of the event, the Lithuanian Emigration Institute was visited by President Valdas Adamkus.
Establishment and initial challenges
The long-standing director of the Institute, historian Prof. Egidijus Aleksandravičius, notes that the establishment of the LEI was an organic part of the re-establishment of VMU: “We (VMU) are the fruit of the intellectual efforts of the diaspora.” According to him, the University’s re-establishment following the collapse of the Soviet Union allowed for the concentration of diaspora studies, which evolved into significant work. “I myself cannot imagine how it would have been possible to envisage VMU without what we have done with diaspora research,” he says, highlighting the crucial mission for both the University and the Institute.
One of the key reasons behind the establishment of the LEI was the decision by diaspora collector and journalist Bronius Kviklys to donate his collection of books, periodicals, and archives to the University. “Then we realised that it was so monumental that we had to create a specific unit to handle its preservation, management, research, etc.,” Prof. Aleksandravičius recounts.
Another individual who played a significant role in the history of the Institute was the renowned diaspora sociologist and culturologist Vytautas Kavolis, who actively contributed to the conceptual vision of the Institute. His personal efforts to bridge Lithuanian and diaspora experiences and his continuous calls for developing interdisciplinary studies on the intellectual legacy of exile laid the foundation for the LEI’s strategy. Bronius Kviklys’s legacy, along with Vytautas Kavolis’s ideas on exile studies, formed the basis for the establishment of the Institute, allowing not only to collect but also to analyse and publish the diaspora’s heritage. Symbolically, after Kavolis’s death, his library and archives also found their way to the Institute.
The beginning was not easy. “It was just me and Linas Saldukas in the basement on those boxes,” Prof. Aleksandravičius recalls, reflecting on the Institute’s origins and the first steps towards preserving the heritage of the Lithuanian diaspora. At that time, he held an administrative position at VMU and did not hold any official paid position at the Institute, carrying out many tasks driven by idealism. Saldukas was the first, and for a long time the only, employee of the Institute upon whose shoulders lay all the work of managing the archives.
In 2000, the Emigration Studies Centre was renamed the Lithuanian Emigration Institute and moved to S. Daukanto St. 25, the former site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania. It housed not only the archive but also the Aleksandras Štromas Library-Reading Room. “This was a significant step, as such a high-calibre library gave a major boost to our activities,” says Prof. Aleksandravičius.
From Vydūnas’s manuscripts to dissident publications
The successful operation of the Institute and the preservation of the cultural heritage of the diaspora have been significantly supported by the emigrants themselves, who donated documents, books, and periodicals preserved by them, their parents, or friends to the University. “Lithuanian Americans recognised that VMU is a university of a new model and that the Emigration Institute is very American because it encompasses research, archives, and education (...) They realised that the Institute itself is the best partner in researching and determining the significance of the traces of activities of the entire diaspora, particularly that generation,” explains the director of the Institute, emphasising the Institute’s importance in preserving the cultural heritage of the Lithuanian diaspora.
The Lithuanian World Community and its long-standing chairman Vytautas Kamantas have provided substantial support to the LEI’s activities. “Vytautas Kamantas felt a strong sense of solidarity. He and others at the time felt like supporters and stakeholders of the LEI’s cause,” recalls Prof. Aleksandravičius, highlighting the community’s involvement and their desire to maintain a connection with Lithuania’s history.
The LEI archive houses archival collections from various individuals and organisations, including diaspora politicians, public figures, writers, and diplomats (such as Bronius Kviklys, Vincas Rastenis, Jurgis Gimbutas, Adolfas Damušis, Vytautas Alantas, Kazys Almenas, Liūtas Mockūnas, Alfred Erich Senn, Ugnė Karvelis, Anicetas Simutis, and many others). Each of these collections contains documents not only important to researchers but also of significant or even unique value to Lithuanian culture. Staff at the Institute could share numerous significant discoveries, such as the correspondence of President Antanas Smetona from the exilic period preserved in the collection of Bronius Kviklys or manuscripts in Lithuanian and German by Vydūnas, which had long been considered lost.
Other archives are important not only to Lithuanian but also to foreign researchers, such as the collection of the renowned diaspora political scientist Aleksandras Štromas, which includes not only documents about his work in the diaspora but also rare dissident literature evidencing the Lithuanian diaspora’s connections with dissidents in Russia and other countries. “This archive reveals the entire international, anti-communist, anti-Soviet network and how deeply Štromas was involved,” Prof. Aleksandravičius explains. “This material is multilingual and can serve as a source not only in studies of the Lithuanian diaspora.”
Activities and achievements of the Institute
The most symbolic representation of the work accomplished by the institute over the past three decades is the books, monographs, collections of sources and articles (the institute has released over 70 publications), and articles published in Lithuanian and international scientific journals by the Institute’s staff. Since 2006, the Institute has been publishing the interdisciplinary journal Oikos, dedicated to analysing the history of the diaspora and migration processes. “We were able to create, we wanted to create, and that was our mission,” recalls Prof. Aleksandravičius, emphasising that the Institute’s activities have been and remain focused on preserving the traces of the diaspora and helping to better understand the challenges of globalisation and trends in Lithuanian emigration.
Academic and cultural dissemination of the cultural history of the diaspora is also an important part of the activities of the Lithuanian Emigration Institute, encompassing scientific conferences, seminars, book presentations, and meetings with representatives of the diaspora. This not only engages diaspora researchers in joint projects and discussions but also seeks attractive ways to present the diaspora to a broader audience. Thanks to the successful research and educational activities of the Institute, the University has developed a strong school of research on the history of the Lithuanian diaspora, whose students can be found not only at VMU but also in other Lithuanian institutions.
Today, the LEI is an important centre for research on the Lithuanian diaspora and for maintaining connections with the promoters of diaspora culture. Prof. Aleksandravičius notes that the Institute’s mission remains the same – to preserve and research the heritage of the Lithuanian diaspora, ensuring that it is accessible to future generations.
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