In the area of Humanities and Social Sciences, dr Justas Stončius, a researcher at the Institute of Baltic History and Archaeology of Klaipėda University (BRIAI KU), was named one of two winners. His dissertation-based monograph The Limits of Hatred: Anti-Semitism in Lithuania 1944-1990 was recognised as excellent by the evaluators.
"The news of the prize for my research was very gratifying and motivates me to continue to pursue research, truth, and self-realisation. In high spirits, it will be much more fun to present the monograph to the readers tomorrow at the Vilnius Book Fair. Incidentally, it will be first presented to the public", commented dr Justas Stončius on the news of winning the competition.
According to him, the monograph summarised research on anti-Semitism that began more than a decade ago. "Antisemitism is still a sensitive form of hatred in Lithuania. This phenomenon is visible both in today's information space and in everyday "innocent" mockery. That is why it is essential to talk and write about it. It is important to qualitatively separate opinions from facts and to give voice to contemporaries whose experiences have not been disclosed. Although the monograph is not about today's current affairs, it is about our recent history during the Soviet era, the legacy of which, unfortunately, is still felt today. One of the main aims of this monograph is to rethink the attitudes towards Jews that were formed during the Soviet era, their remnant in post-Soviet Lithuanian society, and their interconnections with today's realities", the author introduced his work.
Dr Justas Stončius invites readers to the presentation of the monograph and a discussion on anti-Semitism at Vilnius Book Fair at 1 pm tomorrow, 24 February. The book will be presented in Conference Hall 1.3, where the author will be joined by BRIAI historians Vygantas Vareikis and Hektoras Vitkus and moderator Lara Lempertienė.
