Grįžtamoji lietuvių emigracija: prielaidos, požiūriai, kontekstas
Returning Lithuanian emigration: presumptions, attitudes, context

Summary/Abstract: Summary During the twenty years of Independence, about half a million inhabitants left Lithuania, and only about one fourth returned. In the context of the last year, the process of emigration return is even less likely to expect. The new flows of emigrants are caused by the social, economic and cultural development limitations or even stagnation in Lithuania. In this context, emigration is one of the equivalent survival / living strategies. A conside rable part of the emigrants are young persons (aged 20–34). The most frequent reasons for emigration are economic, family, sel-realization and other motives. The largest part of Lithuanians emigrate into the countries where Lithuanian communities have already settled: the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America, Germany. The following aspects of emigration should be considered: decrease of population, structural changes, loss of investments into education of population, decline of family, threat to civil society and intelectual potential of the country, stagnation of the common economic potential. In this article analysed are the presumptions and social context of returning emigration. The theoretical background of the research is the sociological theories of migration and the theoretical models of returning emigration. On the basis of theoretical analysis, the main group of empirical indicators was distinguished: migrational motives, social status, social networking and attitudes towards returning to homeland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Lithuanians living abroad (14 women and 6 men). The aim of this interview was to disclose the presumptions of Lithuanians returning to homeland and its social context. The research allows to disclose the reasons that have the strongest impact on the solution to emigrate from Lithuania. First, better living conditions in a foreing country should be considered. The delay of returning back to homeland is influenced by the level of welfare in a foreign country. The presumptions of Lithuanians to return to homeland are more provisory, their decision for returning back is delayed to an uncertain period. The priority is valid only for the social networks that are present in Lithuania. The distrust of the Lithuanian state, the lack of motivation to return, an unfavourable prognosis of the positive changes that could give an incentive to retun – assurance of welfare in Lithuania – are emphasized.

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