Versijas par etnogrāfiju 20. gadsimta 30.–40. gadu Latvijā. Ziedoņa Ligera gadījuma izpēte
Perspectives on Ethnography in Latvia of the 1930s and 1940s. The Case of Ziedonis Ligers

Summary/Abstract: The article assesses the formation of ethnography as an academic discipline in Latvia through considering the fate of Ziedonis Ligers (1917–2001). His case exemplifies the processes that shaped the understanding of this discipline during the interwar period. The obstacles that prevented European ethnological approaches from taking root in Latvia are also scrutinized. Attention is paid to the ways in which ethnographic knowledge was constituted in folklore studies and archaeology. The formation of ethnography as an autonomous discipline was also moulded by generational differences and political sympathies within the Faculty of Philology and Philosophy. The Soviet and Nazi occupations exacerbated the already existing problems with involving junior scholars to the field. The little resonance of the work by Ligers exposes the marginality of ethnological knowledge in local research agendas. The adjective “ethnographic” during the period between 1934 and 1945 appeared primarily in the context of exploring the ancient history of Latvian tribes; contemporary folklife received relatively little attention. The author of this article draws on archive materials, publications in periodicals, and secondary literature.

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