This fall the Baltic community is commemorating he 70th anniversary of the great escape that took thousands of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians to the West. In affiliation with that the Estonian Diaspora Academy in collaboration with Tallinn University Institute of History and Expatriate Estonian Literature Centre is organizing a conference for migration and diaspora researchers as well as archivists and museologists who are active in the field. The event will take place in Tallinn University on September 18-19 2014.
Presentations on following subjects are encouraged:
– Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians adaption to life abroad: perspective of the ethnic community and of the wider society
– National and ethnic dimensions in the culture and history of Baltic diasporas
– Communication with homeland
– Transnationalism, the present and future perspectives of Baltic diasporas
– Collecting the diaspora: principles and practices
On September 20th an oral history day will be held in collaboration with the Estonian Museum of Occupations. There the floor will be given to representatives of the Estonian diaspora who can share their memories, life experience and opinions on the following subjects:
– The great escape, choosing a country of destination, the decades of exile
– Adapting to life abroad: relationships, climate, society
– ESTO and other significant events: insights from behind the scenes, human contact
– Communicating with relatives through the Iron Curtain
– Return to Estonia as a former refugee or a descendant of refugees.
Please send abstracts (up to one A4 in lenght) for the conference and/or oral history day before May 25th 2014 to pagulaskonverents@gmail.com
We are looking forward to your submissions and hope to see many fascinating issues raised.
Conference committee:
Aivar Jürgenson
Sander Jürisson
Maarja Merivoo-Parro