Pricipal Investigator Tomas Vaiseta
In this research, scholars from diverse disciplines and countries come together to explore the Nemunas River, a crucial geographical entity that connects the histories of Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Belarus. By examining the river through ecological, cultural, historical, and sociological lenses, the project delves into how communities have shaped—and have been shaped by—this multifaceted river along its course. The Nemunas emerges as a geographical fact, symbol, source of inspiration, and vital resource, coming to the forefront and vanishing as an imperceptible backdrop depending on the ideologies at play.
Building on these research directions, the team is also actively contributing to international academic discussions. At the XI ICCEES World Congress, PAScapes researchers Tomas Vaiseta, Marius Ėmužis, Rugilė Rožėnė and Antanas Terleckas, together with Anita Zarina (University of Latvia) and Epp Annus (University of Tallinn / Ohio State University), convened the panel “Disrupted Currents: Authoritarian Shaping of Human–Water Interactions in the Soviet Era”. Marius Ėmužis and Antanas Terleckas presented the joint paper “Authoritarianism Compared: ‘Taming’ the Nemunas River for Hydroelectric Purposes in Independent and Occupied Lithuania”, while Rugilė Rožėnė and Tomas Vaiseta delivered their co-authored presentation “The Nemunas Land: Soviet Colonial Practices Along Lithuania’s Riverscape”.
