Children, Poverty and Nationalism in Lithuania, 1900–1940 by Andrea Griffante (review)

Reviewed by: Children, Poverty and Nationalism in Lithuania, 1900–1940 by Andrea Griffante Aisling Shalvey Children, Poverty and Nationalism in Lithuania, 1900–1940. By Andrea Griffante. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Pivot, 2019. vii + 148 pp. Cloth £49.99, e-book £39.99. This book is a welcome addition to the history of childhood, nationalism, and charitable organizations. The text is separated into chapters tackling concise eras and offering a fresh comparison with other similar European movements. Solid contextual literary analysis grounds this book well in relation to similar [End Page 507] works and reflects openly about where these works can contribute to understanding the Lithuanian experience of childhood and nationalism and where a more local context is required. Griffante observed that with the widening of the field of research on child studies, how children are viewed as future citizens with their own agency has come more to the fore. Concerns over national identity based on language, ethnic group, and interaction with the elite through charitable organizations are all touched upon in the introduction and thoughtfully discussed in later chapters. Griffante, in this context, notes that "children were not the passive recipients of disseminated messages" but could exercise their individuality in how they interacted with these organizations, which tried to frame poverty and nationalism as methods of shaping and creating model citizens (2). She sets the stage for the rest of the book, highlighting nationalistic ideas and modernity but also how children refused to cooperate with these broader ideas. The core questions beginning the deeper analysis are answered within this volume, including contemplation on the function of social control through aid, the impact of linguistic nationalism, and the role of the destitute and orphaned child in relation to modernity and morality. The first chapter begins with the turn of the century and argues that, while an educated minority began to express a vision for an ethnically homogenous Lithuania, there was no administrative, religious, linguistic, or socioeconomic consistency. Reflecting this, then, child assistance for poverty similarly differed based on region. Griffante explains that by 1920, a more homogenous framework emerged following wartime displacement. She also splits Lithuanian nationalism into two phases, the first being up to the First World War and involving expanding the middle class and nation building; the second, from 1920 to 1940, involved a more homogenous ethnic, cultural, and linguistic group seeking to achieve modernity via sociopolitical policies. In both eras, social cohesion was integral, and this was done to varying degrees of success primarily through voluntary charitable organizations targeting the nation's poor and destitute children in search of the ideal moldable citizen. Griffante underscores that children became the focus of nationalism through their perceived future human capital; in this way we see concurrent ideas through European nationalism, industrialism, and childhood that are reflected in the Lithuanian example. The perceived neglect of children was thought to feed directly into immorality and criminality, and moral prevention became the central tenet of childhood assistance in orphanages. The second phase centered on modernity and modernization through instilling modern hygiene practices. This encompassed a focus on maternity and morality by stressing breastfeeding as a moral practice. This eventually expanded to the provision of crèches, food assistance, and day nurseries for working parents, particularly those in urban environments. [End Page 508] Discussions emerged as to the relegation of childcare and provision to the domestic sphere. And while mothers were ideologically framed as responsible for the next generation, ultimately the prevention of moral degeneration of impoverished children was considered to be a national goal. The impact of the "red menace" in regard to the provision of child assistance is noted in this work, with many organizations choosing to concentrate relief efforts on other neighboring countries rather than Lithuania due to their perceived instability and susceptibility to communism. While understanding Lithuanian history would be beneficial, it is not essential for the comprehension of the book or for garnering helpful information on the history of childhood. The broader context of the forced displacement of peoples, particularly the impact on children, as a result of the two world wars will ground the reader in understanding the key factors behind the deployment of charities tackling childhood poverty in...