Children, Poverty and Nationalism in Lithuania, 1900–1940

Description

This book discusses the emergence of care for orphaned, abandoned and poor children in Lithuania from the early twentieth century to the beginning of the Second World War. In particular, it focuses on how such practices were influenced by nationalist and political discourses, and how orphanages became privileged institutions for nation building. Emerging during the humanitarian crisis following the First World War, the Lithuanian orphaned and destitute children’s assistance network had an eminently ethno-national character, and existed in parallel with, and was challenged by, Polish poor child assistance institutions. By analysing such care for children, this book explores concepts such as the nation state and citizenship, as well as the connections between poverty, childhood and nationalism. Front Matter ....Pages i-vii Introduction (Andrea Griffante)....Pages 1-9 The Future of the Nation: The Emergence of Poor Children as a Problem (Andrea Griffante)....Pages 11-40 The Great War over Children, 1914–1918 (Andrea Griffante)....Pages 41-68 Rehabilitating Children: Lithuania and International Humanitarian Aid, 1918–1923 (Andrea Griffante)....Pages 69-100 The New Interwar Order: Children, Rehabilitation, and Discipline, 1923–1940 (Andrea Griffante)....Pages 101-138 Final Remarks (Andrea Griffante)....Pages 139-143 Back Matter ....Pages 145-148