Lithuanian Philosophy and the Great War: Reflections on the Formation of Stasys Šalkauskis’s Political Thought

• In Event: History of Lithuanian Political Thought

Abstract

This presentation focuses on the leading interwar Lithuanian Catholic philosopher Stasys Šalkauskis (1886–1941), exploring the formation of his philosophical and political views during the First World War and how they were subsequently institutionalized in the philosophical curriculum of the University of Kaunas in interwar Lithuania. Its novelty lies in the focused analysis of Šalkauskis’s major work, On the Boundary of Two Worlds (1919), situating it within the political and intellectual context of the First World War and its aftermath. This examination aims to uncover the circumstances of the book’s production, trace its reception, and explore the controversies that it generated in interwar Lithuania. By contextualizing Šalkauskis’s ideas and exploring their reception among contemporaries, the research contributes to the understanding of the intersection between philosophical thought and political circumstances during the First World War and its aftermath. The presentation seeks to touch on questions such as: What were the intellectual networks and affiliations of Šalkauskis during the First World War, and how did they shape his views? How did Šalkauskis’s philosophical outlook evolve during this time, and how did it relate to his political engagement? How did Šalkauskis’ attitudes towards Lithuanian statehood and democracy change during and after the war, and how did these compare with the broader Lithuanian Catholic elites? What impact did his views on Lithuanian national individuality have on his contemporaries, and what controversies did they generate? More generally, how can we better conceptualize the interplay between politics and philosophy in the given period?

Short Bio

Vilius Kubekas earned his Doctoral degree in Comparative History from Central European University. He has been granted junior fellowships at the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe, the Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG), and the German Historical Institute (DHI) in Warsaw. His research interests cover the intellectual history of the interwar period, the history of twentieth-century political thought in East Central Europe, and modern European political history.

Author

• Vilius Kubekas, Lithuanian Institute of History