Attitudes and attributes: Perceptions of Eastern Europe among Chicago's Lithuanians

Since at least the 1930s, several Lithuanian intellectuals and politicians have challenged the idea Lithuania is part of Eastern Europe by asserting Lithuania is either part of Central Europe or Northern Europe. Despite the longevity of these claims, research on the topic has accentuated the opinions of Lithuanian intellectuals and politicians rather than the broader Lithuanian community. Moreover, the insights of Lithuanian diasporic groups have been neglected. By exploring how Lithuanians and individuals of Lithuanian descent residing in the Chicago metropolitan area perceive Eastern Europe, including its relationship to Lithuania, this thesis not only addresses public perspectives, but also those originating from the largest Lithuanian population outside Lithuania. In doing so, a mixed-methods approach was adopted, involving the statistical analysis and qualitative coding of 101 surveys, and the qualitative coding of 10 semi-structured interviews. The surveys revealed 77.2% of participants indicated Lithuania is within Eastern Europe, while the interviews divulged how this viewpoint is likely shaped via geographic considerations, Russian influence factors, and societal aspects. These findings demonstrate the importance of moving beyond narratives generated from Lithuanian intellectual and political circles in pursuit of more inclusive understandings. This study contributes to perceptual region research by exhibiting how interviews might be used to complement data garnered from surveys.