Place Identity and Heritage as Factors in Establishment of Local Communities. Case of Lithuania

Abstract

The article, based on the data of an empirical study conducted in Lithuanian village and town communities (involving semi-structured interviews with community representatives), examines the relationship between activities of communities in the field of heritage and their place identity. The links between the place identity of a community and its participation in heritage practices are reciprocal: place identity is an important factor in motivating and mobilizing people to participate in these practices, and heritage is a significant resource in creating place identity, especially such aspects of place identity as feelings of commonality, belonging, ‘rootedness’, continuity of identity, and self-esteem. Emotional aspects of place identity related to local memory and heritage are denoted by a particularly strong motivating and mobilizing power.