Department of Sociology

VMU Department of Sociology implements three-level study programs within the fields of sociology, anthropology, social policy and social demographics. Nationally and internationally acknowledged Lithuanian sociologists, anthropologists and demographers work in the Department. Together with students they are involved in diverse sociological, anthropological and demographic research which indentify and analyze social problems and their social contexts. Main research areas include contemporary identity, citizenship, sociology of gender, family, religion, health, politics and higher education. Researchers of the Department of Sociology are active public intellectuals and participants in public discussions on most important issues of contemporary society. They also initiate and implement various research projects and lead in national and international publications among Lithuanian scholars. VMU Department of Sociology has a permanent and constantly updated network of research and study partners in Lithuania and internationally as well as a wide network of social partners that help ensure the quality of study and research.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. JURGA BUČAITĖ-VILKĖ

E-mail: jurga.bucaite-vilke@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Civil society issues (decentralization, governance); democratization processes; development of local communities; research on social networks; sociology of economics.

DAIVA VILČINSKIENĖ

E-mail: daiva.vilcinskiene@vdu.lt

Tel. +370 37 327822

E-mail: milda.alisauskiene@vdu.lt

Researcher profile in ORCID.

Research interests:

Sociology and anthropology of religion; religious diversity and religious fundamentalism; religion and politics; new religions; role of religion in post-communist society; sociology of deviance; human rights.

Prof. Dr. VYLIUS LEONAVIČIUS

E-mail: vylius.leonavicius@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Modernization theory and the change in modern society; transformation of modern Lithuanian society; theories of sociology and social cognition; personal and group identity; medical sociology; sociology of higher education; environmental sociology.

Prof. Dr. VYTIS ČUBRINSKAS

E-mail: vytis.cubrinskas@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Migration and diaspora studies; ethnicity, nationalism and cosmopolitanism;  politics of identity, heritage and social memory; post-socialist and postcolonial processes in Europe; Asia and Northern America;  history, epistemology and politics of sociocultural anthropology and ethnology.

Fieldwork sites and geographical focus:

North America (USA), Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia (Kazackhstan) South Asia (India).

Prof. Dr. ARTŪRAS TEREŠKINAS

E-mail: arturas.tereskinas@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Cultural sociology; sociology of gender; sociology of emotions; men’s studies; pop culture studies, social exclusion and minority group studies.

Prof. Dr. AUŠRA MASLAUSKAITĖ

E-mail: ausra.maslauskaite@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Sociology of the family; family demography; sociology of gender.

E-mail: domantas.jasilionis@vdu.lt

Assist. Prof. Dr. GIEDRĖ BALTRUŠAITYTĖ

E-mail: giedre.baltrusaityte@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Medical and mental health sociology; medicalization; health care reforms; health policy; societal development and health; health and social exclusion; patient satisfaction with healthcare services.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. JŪRATĖ IMBRASAITĖ

E-mail: jurate.imbrasaite@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Post-communist transformation; citizen participation; comparative analysis of welfare regimes; social policy process and analysis; public law.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. JURGA BUČAITĖ-VILKĖ

E-mail: jurga.bucaite-vilke@vdu.lt

Research interests:

Civil society issues (decentralization, governance); democratization processes; development of local communities; research on social networks; sociology of economics.

Assist. Prof. Dr. DAIVA BARTUŠIENĖ

E-mail: daiva.bartusiene@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Medical anthropology; culture, society and health; forced migration and health; refugee health care; health policy.

Assist. Prof. Dr. RASA INDRILIŪNAITĖ

E-mail: rasa.indriliunaite@vdu.lt

Research interests:

Homelessness; studies of social exclusion groups; social inequality; urban sociology; youth policy.

Assist. Prof. Dr. APOLONIJUS ŽILYS

E-mail: apolonijus.zilys@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Discourse of modernization; urban sociology; discourse and stratification of the welfare state; industrialization and post-fordism.

E-mail: kristina.jonutyte@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Anthropology of Buddhism, political and economic anthropology, anthropology of religion, urban anthropology, North Asia

E-mail: eugenijus.liutkevicius@vdu.lt

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VIDMANTAS VYŠNIAUSKAS

E-mail: vidmantas.vysniauskas@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Lithuanian-Polish relations in the 20^th century; social processes of South-Eastern Lithuania in the 20^th-21^st centuries.

E-mail: renida.baltrusaityte@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Sociology of arts, sociology of body, circus studies

PhD Student ILONA KAZLAUSKAITĖ

E-mail: ilona.kazlauskaite@vdu.lt

Research interests:

Sociology and anthropology of migration and higher education; Internationalization of higher education; Identity, gender issues in the context of the internationalization of higher education

PhD Student DOVILĖ GRICKEVIČIŪTĖ

E-mail: dovile.grickeviciute@vdu.lt

currently on academic leave

Research interests:

Intersectionality of religion and gender, the agency and leadership of Lithuanian Roman Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and Muslim pious women.

E-mail: morta.vidunaite@vdu.lt

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PhD Student MYKOLĖ LUKOŠIENĖ

E-mail: mykole.lukosiene@vdu.lt

Research interests:

Urban anthropology.

E-mail: ruta.dapkunaite@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

Poverty concept in different communities; cultural diversity and differences; migration studies and refugees; consumption and consumer society; kinship; human rights; technological impact on society; service customization in the company sector;  sustainability; sustainable development (business impact on sustainable development); applied and practical anthropology; business anthropology; humanization of IT; culture’s role in technologies.

E-mail stasys.stirbinskas@vdu.lt

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Research interests:

meritocracy, drug control policy

E-mail zivile.mieliauskaite@vdu.lt

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E-mail indra.lukosiene@stud.vdu.lt

E-mail: gintare.gerybaite@vdu.lt

Prof. MIKAEL ROTHSTEIN, Pietų Danijos universitetas (University of Southern Denmark)

Prof. ULLRICH KOCKEL, Heriot Watt universitetas (Didžioji Britanija)

Prof. INGO WOLFGANG SCHROEDER, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (Vokietija)

Prof. SEBASTIAN KLUSENER (Max Planck Institute for Demographical Research)