Paper short abstract:

This paper will focus on the transformative process of the Lithuanian agricultural sector in the years leading up to and since EU membership. The aim is to investigate the impact of institutional and legal changes initiated by EU agricultural programmes for new member states on rural daily life.

Paper long abstract:

This proposal will focus on the transformative process of the Lithuanian agricultural sector in the years leading up to and since EU membership. The aim is to investigate the impact of institutional and legal changes initiated by EU agricultural programmes for new member states on rural daily life, and how it affects peoples´ understanding of what is "foreign" and what is "local."

I see Loss, Continuity and Change as keywords for the transformation of society and practice in the rural areas. Loss in terms of the loss of past certainty and economic stability provided by the collective farm, Continuity in terms of strategies developed to cope with this loss and Change occurs when the very same strategies and modes of thinking transform in interaction with the new circumstances.

This proposal will contribute to the understanding of this recent historical development through an analysis of the influence of the EU in a post-socialist context. I will investigate how these influences are understood, reshaped and integrated into already existing modes of local regulation and practice.