Keynote speakers

Zenonas Norkus

Zenonas Norkus

Professor of Comparative Historical Sociology

Zenonas Norkus is Professor of Comparative Historical Sociology, Institute of Sociology and Social Work at the University Vilnius. His book publications include "An Unproclaimed Empire: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the Viewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires" (2017); "Two Twenty-Year Periods of Independence: Capitalism, Class and Democracy in the First and Second Republics of Lithuania from the Point of View of Comparative Historical Sociology" (2014); "On Baltic Slovenia and Adriatic Lithuania. A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Patterns in Post-Communist Transformation" (2012); "Which Democracy, Which Capitalism? Post-Communist Transformation in Lithuania from the Viewpoint of Comparative Historical Sociology" (2008); "Max Weber and Rational Choice" (2001).

Title of key note: “Heading for Second Millenium of European History: Lithuania Ancient and Modern, Two Times Restored”

In 2009, Lithuania celebrated the millennium since the first mention of its name in the historical sources. In the key note, Zenonas Norkus surveys main stations of this millennial history, dividing into ancient and modern periods. First period encompasses the rise of ancient Lithuanian state known as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, united since 1385 by dynastic union with Poland, which was transformed in the 1569 into Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The ancient period closes in the 1795, when Lithuania together with Poland vanished from the political map of Europe. Second period encompasses two restorations of independent Lithuanian state. The centennial anniversary of the first restoration was celebrated in 2018. After only two decades of independence, Republic of Lithuania was occupied and annexed by Soviet Union in 1940, resurrecting in 1990, which was the year of its second restoration. After discussing how and why Lithuania did not remain one of the many Europe’s “vanished kingdoms” (Norman Davies), this presentation zooms in on its recent history, closing with the comparative snapshot of its achievements and topical problems at the beginning of the second millennium of its European history, marked by the accession to EU and NATO in 2004.

Hosted by

Institute of Sociology and Social Work
Faculty of Philosophy
Vilnius University

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