Concepts of a Latvian-Lithuanian State: Dissertation Grant Report from James Montgomery Baxenfield

AABS is pleased to recognize James Montgomery Baxenfield for the completion of the grant associated with his dissertation about the modern intellectual history of establishing a Latvian-Lithuanian state, for which he received the AABS Dissertation Grant in the 2023-2024 cycle.

James Montgomery Baxenfield is a Junior Research Fellow and doctoral candidate in the field of history at Tallinn University. The main focus of his research is the idea of establishing a Latvian-Lithuanian state, which he examines in his dissertation “Footnotes to the Past: The Unrealised Idea of a Latvian-Lithuanian State, 1884–1984.” Baxenfield was a guest co-editor of the Acta Historica Tallinnensia 2022 special issue “Recognition: de facto and de jure” that marked the centenary of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian diplomatic recognition by the United States of America. He was a 2022 recipient of the AABS Baumanis Grant for Creative Projects in Baltic Studies.

The Impact of an Award: Report from James Montgomery Baxenfield

After the completion of his grant, James Montgomery Baxenfield submitted a reflection to AABS.
We thank him for his permission to publish his thoughts, which have been lightly edited.

My doctoral dissertation examines the idea of establishing a Latvian-Lithuanian state over the course of a century, from 1884 to 1984. During the course of my research, I have divided this phenomenon into three distinct periods: the Šliūpas era (1884–1919), the interwar period (1920–1940), and the Bračs era (1941–1984). The first period is named after Jonas Šliūpas (1861–1944), a prominent historical personality of the Lithuanian national awakening who is most associated with the idea. The final period is named after Jūlijs Bračs (1909–1984), a schoolteacher and historian from Latvia who attempted to revive the idea of a common state following the Second World War. The Dissertation Grant for Graduate Students that I received from AABS for the 2023/2024 academic year was used to undertake archival research in Riga and Vilnius to investigate the interwar period and how Šliūpas conception of a Latvian-Lithuanian republic transformed into Bračs ideal of a common country called Aistija.

Researching the documentation of LLV Kaunas and LLV Riga was integral to understanding how a notion found predominantly among Lithuanian émigrés prior to the interwar period briefly reemerged as a nascent Latvian exile movement following the Second World War. The archival sources examined at LCVA and LVVA were also instrumental in identifying broader political and societal factors that effectively resulted in the Latvian and Lithuanian rapprochement societies providing incubation for this marginal yet perennial idea. Records of presentations at congresses were particularly enlightening concerning efforts to devise a common history. Besides identifying allusions to a common state in the papers of LLV Kaunas and LLV Riga, examining the documentation also facilitated gaining a better understanding of individuals involved with broader rapprochement activities in the Baltic region, including interactions with Estonians.

The AABS Dissertation Grant was invaluable as it afforded me the opportunity to visit LCVA and LVVA for extended periods of archival research. This was particularly beneficial as my initial plans for archival research was disrupted due to the Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions in previous years. Moreover, the extended stays in Riga and Vilnius allowed me the time to visit libraries to consult secondary sources outside of the working hours of the archives. During this period, I was also able to visit several museums and historic locations that helped to contextualise aspects of the research and my understanding of Latvian and Lithuanian history in general.

– James Montgomery Baxenfield, 2024

James Montgomery Baxenfield