Vilma Žaltauskaitė

Institute of Lithuanian History

Egodocumentary Aspect in the Researches of the 19th-Century Requests-Complaints 

I will analyse the aspect of typologisation of egodocuments, the functioning of requests complaints in the cultural space of the 19th-century Lithuania, with special attention to the socio-cultural and political context of the Catholic Church. The aim of the presentation is to highlight the egodocumentary aspect of the very specific group of historical sources – the requests-complaints written by the Roman Catholic clergy.

The presentation will also cover those requests-complaints that were written about the activities of the clergy in the 19th-century Lithuanian dioceses (i.e., Vilnius and Samogitian (Telšiai) dioceses).

I will analyse the representativeness of these sources in the context of the 19th-century Lithuanian culture. In the case studies, I will highlight aspects of the confessional identity and religious practices as well as their relationship to the modernisation processes in society and in the Roman Catholic Church of that time.