Polyphonic City: Crafting a new Lithuanian Identity in Wilno, Vilna, Vilnius

Abstract

Lithuania is a fledgling nation built on 19th and 20th century conceptions of ethno-linguistic nationalism.Yet its capital, Vilnius, is a hybrid state of Polish, Jewish, Soviet, and Lithuanian heritage that challenges the notion of a singular state identity. Memory and identity clash in the interpretation of what makes Lithuanian heritage. This clash obfuscates the history of place and limits the potential for developing a polyphonic assemblage of heritage narratives that can inform present and future conceptions of what the Lithuanian identity is. This thesis challenges the notion of singular national identity in order to draw out a hybridity that is reflectiveof the global and regional identity that the Lithuanian state has tried to cultivate since its independence in 1990. By examining the history of sites deemed significant to national heritage, I seek to challenge the singular narrative that is so often accepted with heritage production and instead present a network of narratives – past, present, and future – that are more representative of the heterogeneous cultural history of Vilnius.