Tiltai

The paper develops the insights laid out in the chapter The Trauma of Nation’s De-localisation in the book Dramaturgy of National Identity (2005). In the contemporary world, delocalisation of nations is unavoidable and, in that sense, it represents a natural process of civilisation which reproduces national identity in a transnational form both in the country of emigration and of origin. However, for the nations with an incomplete story of territorial consolidation, the opening up to supra-nationalisation, emigration, and globalisation in general was unexpected and seemed infinite and destructive for the nation. The Lithuanian nation was affected by delocalisation, among other things, primarily by especially large-scale emigration. The nation is losing the feeling of integrity. Just 25 years ago, the ideal of the localisation of the nation – its concentration on a sovereign territory – prevailed. Global life economization, European supra-nationalization, and the failure to successfully complete the post-communist transformation dealt a blow to the national ideal that actualised “one’s own state”. The “breaking up” of the nation was so unexpected that even nationalism did not actualise ethnocentrism. It was expected to be just temporary costs of post-communist transformation. However, presently, we have increasingly more arguments to prove that the post-communist transitional period has expired, therefore, the current trends have long-term prospects. The de-localization of the Lithuanian nation takes place not really as a natural process of civilisation, but rather as a response to the mainly unsuccessful end of post-communism in Lithuania. The situation is to be characterised by the metaphor of trauma. Trauma is experienced at unexpected “discovery” of one’s own ethno-social disability (the term by R. Grigas) when one clings onto the traditional ethnocentric ideal of the nation and is unable to evaluate and project the delocalisation of the nation as a natural process of civilisation. The trauma implies the threat of a break in the building of national identity and the decline of the nation. For the Lithuaniannism to survive, it is necessary to “incorporate” a perspective of the network of its agents, open to transnationalism and stretching all over the world, into the content of the nation.

The multitude and complexity of factors determining career decisions result in the complexity of career decision process and the dynamics of inherent characteristics with reference to both individuals and social groups, for instance, generations. During the recent decade the representatives of Generation Y have entered the labour market; their values and behaviour differ from those characteristic of the representatives of Generation X who still prevail in the labour market. The emerging intergenerational conflict complicates the labour relations. Therefore, it is important to understand the reasons behind the career choice made by representatives of different generations. What has determined their career choice? How the dynamics of factors determining career decisions is related to the characteristics of different generations highlighted in the generational theory and the relevant historical and cultural context? The aim of the article is to reveal the Dynamics of factors that have determined the career decisions of Generations X and Y and to reveal similarities and differences.

In contemporary society the new organizational forms take pace, which enable individuums to form some kind of common identities by reaching consumers communities. Consumerism is the main feature of such communities, which may be called as certain “tribes” with their values and they develop as capitalist system deepens and widens. Postmodernism creates such cultural environment, which forms “tribal marketing” phenomena as mobilizing different groups for the more developed, clearly defined and specific consumption. The authors in the article seek to reveal the impact of postmodernist consumerism to the formation of “tribal marketing” and the development of this phenomena vice/versa.

The article discusses the possibilities for using cross-border models in the construction of telemedicine devices which use internet connections, and the possibility for placing data ‘in the clouds’. There are such models as the Identifying and Analysing Needs model by Leslie Rae (NIA), the Design Thinking model and the GROW coaching model. The research was based on the rules of the emancipatory-critical paradigm and the triangulation method. The non-reactive research (the unobtrusive measures method) was applied in the first stage, and was based on the NIA and DT models. It was conducted based on the situation of senior citizens in Poland (against the background of the Covid-19 pandemic). In the second stage, research was carried out using a survey. The target of the survey was the elderly and their caregivers. In the third stage, in-depth interviews were conducted with senior citizens about their emotions, needs and fears/concerns. They were conducted in accordance with the GROW model coaching guidelines. The results of all the studies are presented on the basis of the Design Thinking model.

Scientific journal Tiltai / Bridges / Brücken published by Klaipėda University (established in 1991) is devoted to the issues of social sciences, and seeking academic dialogue, also to other human and society functioning-related humanities and biomedical sciences, with expand and interpret different social phenomena and current issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. The publications attempts at analysing and solving actual problems of economy, management, demography, social geography, geopolitics, political sciences, history, education, religious, regional planning and land use, other social problems. Science has no borders. Therefore scientific cooperation is one of the most important elements in the progress of world’s community. Scientists from different countries of the world are kindly invited to write for and contribute to the journal.

This paper presents a subjective evaluation of the attitudes and experiences in the Lithuanian labour market of currently unemployed youths (aged 18 to 35) registered at the public employment service (PES). The main focus is on identifying the main issues related to the successful transition of youths from education to the labour market. Research questions: How do currently unemployed young people evaluate their prospects on the labour market? What is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on youth transitions? What are the obstacles in the search for a (first) job? The study is based on survey research that was carried out in Lithuania from February to April 2021. A total of 453 young people who are currently unemployed and registered at the PES participated in the study. The results reveal that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected more vulnerable young people with a lower educational level and less work experience living in rural areas. Respondents with lower levels of education indicated greater difficulties in the search for a first job and in obtaining a stable working position. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the transition from education to the labour market for young women more than for men.

The whole idea of this paper spins mainly about one of the main aspects within early child’s education – creativity and its meaning to a child’s psychosocial development. The presented findings rely on the methodological approach supported by Reggio Emilia philosophy. Creativity education, especially based on Reggio Emilia point of view, starts from the very young age and therefore kindergartens as well as families play much significant role to support and develop creativity roots in child’s everyday routine. It is stressed that being creative is more like being initiative and innovative – the features that are mainly required by contemporary society. Also this paper is illustrated with real-life pictures from the activities in the kindergarten “Lazdynėlis”, so it becomes much clearer for those who are interested in this topic to understand how kindergarten daily life may sustain, develop and so enhance creativity of children using many different approaches, e.g. through the game-led tools, teachers’ attitudes etc.

The purpose of this article is to review the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2021 on the business environment of the transport sector, and to provide the most effective means to restore the transport sector. For this purpose, scientific, statistical and documentary sources are examined, in which material from research conducted by Lithuanian and foreign scientists about the pandemic and its impact on the European and Lithuanian transport sector is analysed; the importance of the transport sector to the national economy and the peculiarities of the transport sector business environment are reviewed; the challenges of different modes of transport in the transport sector during the pandemic are described; threats, problems and opportunities the transport sector faced are presented; and impact assessments and forecasts for individual modes of transport are provided. To reveal the topic of the article about the challenges and changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the transport sector, a comparative analysis of the latest scientific literature and statistics, documents, descriptive analytical, synthesis and comparative analysis methods were used.

The article explores the dynamics of domestic violence in the city of Klaipėda over the period 2010 to 2014, with the aim of demonstrating how the Republic of Lithuania’s Law on Protection against Domestic Violence (LOPADV), passed in 2011, raised a relatively marginalised phenomenon to the level of a relevant social problem. The statistical data presented in the article call for a detailed analysis of the dynamics of the phenomenon in order to identify the social and legal causes of changes in domestic violence, and to anticipate prerequisites for strategies related to the safety of the victims of violence and the prevention of violence. The article analyses cases of violence registered with Klaipėda city’s Chief Police Commissariat, in an attempt to evaluate the social profile of domestic violence, and to highlight the essential characteristics of perpetrators and victims. By transcending the rather narrow boundaries of the psychological treatment of this phenomenon, an attempt is made to identify the most important empirical characteristics that would lead in the long run to an opportunity for the sociological interpretation of the phenomenon.

This article presents the concept of China’s sharp power, and features of its formation that support it. The article deals with theoretical interpretations of soft power that are inseparable from the properties of sharp power. Soft power has been a very influential concept in recent decades to describe a country’s ability to influence others by cooperating, persuading and promoting a positive attitude in other states to achieve the desired results. Nevertheless, the concept of power has changed dramatically in recent years, due to shifts in the international system, and no longer fits definitions of the relationship between authoritarian and democratic systems. It is necessary to introduce a new concept of power, in order to expose the new world order posed by China as an emerging normative power. Authoritarian methods of influence can no longer, in principle, be described as soft power. There is a need to introduce a new term for power in academic discourse, in order to conceptualise the influence of authoritarian states on democracies. The article highlights the problem that sharp power can restrict freedom of expression and distort the political environment, by taking advantage of asymmetric levels of freedom between democratic and authoritarian systems. Having identified and clarified the terminological framework, the article presents three components of China’s sharp power, which allows for empirical research into its mechanisms for spreading influence, expanding the country’s interests abroad, and damaging democratic systems.