Abstract
<jats:p>The aim of this monograph is to analyse the value orientations characteristic of different social generations in Lithuania and to examine how these orientations have changed over the three decades since the restoration of Lithuanian independence. The study presents a theoretically grounded and methodologically coherent empirical analysis of the dynamics of values in Lithuanian society through the perspective of generational change, revealing how historical, socioeconomic, and political contexts shape societal values and identities. The monograph compares the value orientations and their dynamics across six generations constituting contemporary Lithuanian society: the Interwar Generation, the First Soviet Generation, the Second Soviet Generation, the Last Soviet Generation, the Transitional Generation, and the First Independence Generation, analysing both their similarities and differences. The span between the birth years of these generations covers 82 years (from 1918 to 2000), meaning that they grew up and entered independent adulthood under profoundly different political, economic, and social conditions. The monograph contributes to contemporary sociological and anthropological research on the development of Lithuanian society by examining the impact of critical historical ruptures on social structure and cultural mentality, while revealing how transformative societal moments shaped the worldviews, value priorities, and forms of civic engagement characteristic of different generations. It investigates value change in the spheres of family, work, religion, citizenship, and other domains of everyday life, demonstrating how intergenerational differences influence everyday lifestyles and social norms. The analysis presented in the monograph makes it possible to empirically reconstruct processes of social change by interpreting them through the perspectives of mentality and everyday life. At the same time, through a comparative cross-cultural approach, it highlights both the similarities and the distinctiveness of value change in Lithuanian society within the broader context of other European countries.</jats:p>