Paper short abstract:

Learned societies such as the 'Lithuanian Science Society' issued new ideas in the domain of the theory of anthropology in early 20th century. The paper deals with the historical importance of this learned society's ideas in strategies of universal belonging notions in European anthropology.

Paper long abstract:

Learned societies such as the 'Lithuanian Science Society' issued new ideas in the domain of the theory of anthropology and ethnography in Lithuania. These ideas deal with interconnected approaches in Baltic, German, and Russian ethnography and anthropology of the early 20th century. In some aspects the ideas of culture representation were universal in Europe, and they still remain important now. Lithuanian Science Society existed in 1907-1940. The members, as Eduardas Volteris and others, cooperated with different European ethnographers. Data on this scientific cooperation with institutions of related disciplines is available in German archives. Meanwhile, the concepts of culture representation correlate with the current notions on the sense of human security. According to contemporary scientific discourses, own culture representation encourages 'security feelings' in coexistence with the Other. I argue, that the Lithuanian Science Society's approach on culture representation is significant in current anthropology as ideas in motion for concepts of 'belonging' in Europe. This paper deals with the historical importance of Lithuanian Science Society's ideas in strategies of universal notions in European anthropology and beyond. The analysis will focus on the following questions: what notions of belonging to a nation were constructed in Baltic ethnography and anthropology at the early 20th century? How did the Baltic, German, Russian societies cooperate? What universal ideas of Lithuanian Science Society are as knowledge in motion in European anthropology?