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Bielskis, Andrius
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2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Andrius Bielskis on Lithuania and the "West"
Andrius Bielskis examines on news portal Delfi whether Lithuania merely adopted Western capitalism or whether it actually developed an open European society after the collapse of communism: "What's clear is that in Lithuania there are still doubts about how European we really are. We have the West's capitalism and we found out that the Soviet myths about the fairytale 'West' didn't correspond with reality. We have also realised that 'Europe' is still an ideal that is difficult to attain. But we haven't really understood that Europe and its culture are much more than the ideologically capitalist West. We must therefore make a clear distinction: It's not about a disparity between Europe and Lithuania but about the difference between the 'West' and Europe. The term 'West' is a phantom from the Cold War that … back then referred to the capitalist industrial nations. Today, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, we must de-ideologise and de-mythologise the West. And instead of worrying about how we can be more like the West we should try to be good Europeans."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » History, » Weltanschauung, » Lithuania
Capital of Culture Vilnius: xenophobic and homophobic?
Vilnius will be European Capital of Culture in 2009. Andrius Bielskis sees this is a cause for celebration for all Lithuanians and in particular the residents of the Lithuanian capital. But at the same time he points out that Vilnius doesn't really convey the impression of being particularly cultivated or open to foreigners. "Vilnius comes over not only as provincial, but also as a xenophobic backwater where people couldn't care less about the European Commission's equal rights initiatives... This includes the rights of homosexuals, who are the subject of heavy discrimination in Lithuania. The atmosphere here can definitely be described as homophobic. The hysteria is also evident in the media's reaction to the accusations, in it's failure to stress that it's important to reject all forms of discrimination, including racial, sexual and religious discrimination."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » Architecture / Cities, » Minorities, » Lithuania
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