The Book smugglers’ movement in Lithuania as a form of cultural resistance to the Russian Еmpire (1864–1904)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to examine the process of formation and activity of the Lithuanian book smuggler movement under the conditions of the ban on Lithuanian printing in the Latin script in 1864–1904, as well as to identify the specific features of its activity as a factor in preserving the national language and book tradition during the period of Russian imperial pressure.

Methods. The study employs a комплекс of general scientific and special historical methods, including analysis and synthesis, a systems approach, the comparative-historical method, as well as historical-genetic, historical-typological, and problem-chronological methods. The source base consists of published archival materials, administrative documentation of the Russian Empire, and epistolary sources.

Results. The political, legal, and sociocultural conditions that led to the emergence of this phenomenon after the suppression of the 1863–1864 uprising are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the formation and functioning of illegal networks for the distribution of Lithuanian printed materials produced outside the empire, primarily in East Prussia and the United States. The organizational structures of the book smuggler movement, the social composition of its participants, logistical routes for transporting literature, and practices of secrecy are examined. The role of the Catholic clergy, especially Bishop Motiejus Valančius, as well as the activities of individual actors and civic initiatives in preserving the Lithuanian language and book tradition, is highlighted.

Conclusions. Based on the analysis of published archival materials, administrative documentation of the Russian Empire, and epistolary sources, it is demonstrated that the book smuggler movement played a key role in shaping Lithuanian national consciousness and became an important factor in the modern national revival in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is emphasized that the experience of the Lithuanian book smuggling movement has significant comparative potential for studying other national movements in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Ukrainian one, under conditions of imperial pressure.