Alvydas Nikžentaitis

Alvydas Nikžentaitis (born on October 18, 1961) is a Lithuanian historian, director of the Lithuanian Institute of History, and associated professor at Vilnius Pedagogical University, Faculty of History.

In 1988 Alvydas Nikžentaitis defended his doctoral thesis on relations between Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Teutonic Order in the first half of the 14th century. In 1992 together with Vladas Žulkus he founded Centre of History of Western Lithuania and Prussia (from 2003 - Institute of Baltic Sea Region History and Archaeology) in Klaipėda. Nikžentaitis was also the first director of aforesaid centre and from 1993 he was a head of Historical Department at Klaipėda University. In 1999 Nikžentaitis defended his habilitated doctoral thesis on Lithuanian Pre-Christian society in the 13th and 14th centuries. From 2000 he is director of The Lithuanian Institute of History.

Main scholarly interests:
*Relationship between Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Teutonic Order;
*Historical relationship between the Lithuanians and the Germans;
*History of Samogitia;
*History of national myths and stereotypes;
*Problems of national identity.

Nikžentaitis is the author of several books and articles published in Lithuania and abroad.

References

* [http://www.eurozine.com/authors/nikzentaitis.html Short bio in English]

External links

*lt icon [http://www.istorija.lt/html/anikzentaitis.html Bio at www.istorija.lt]