We are pleased to announce the upcoming 10th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe “Cultures, Crises, Consolidations in the Baltic World”. June 16-19, 2013 Tallinn University, Estonia.
The Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CBSE) aims to bring together representatives of academic communities who share an interest in exploring the Baltic region from multiple perspectives. Baltic region studies provide a particular historical, political, linguistic, social, cultural and ideological contact zone where the meanings of identities, languages and relationships are renegotiated.
The CBSE started in Scandinavia at the beginning of the 1970s and became regular in the 1980s, inviting more than a hundred representatives of scientific communities from Europe, North America and Australia. Since the middle of the 1980s scientists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have also been able to participate. As a result of political change in the middle of the 1990s it became possible to organize the conference for the first time in the independent Baltic States (Riga/Latvia 1995); since then the CBSE traditionally takes place every second year.
The forthcoming conference “Cultures, Crises, Consolidations in the Baltic World“ in Tallinn is grounded in the realm of the Baltic countries and people who have experienced periods of crises throughout their history: wars and revolutions, plagues and famine, economic and demographic decline. Often enough, periods of consolidation have been followed by just another form of crisis. Therefore it is important to analyse strategies of adaptation to and representation and remembering of changes throughout the history of the Baltic countries. As a specific focus the conference looks at post-socialist cultural changes and the emergence of new identities in the Baltic communities at home and abroad, particularly the transformation of everyday life in consumer society and the migration experiences.
In addition to the historical view we call for particularizing current challenges including democratic changes, international security concerns (energy and cyber security topics) and changes in environmental aspects like climate, land use or water resources of Baltic region. Likewise contributions on cultural and societal issues facing the Baltic countries like social movements, lifestyles and new forms of stratifications or social exclusion, youth cultures, education and (un)employment are very welcome. Traditionally contributions analysing linguistic issues or literatures and folklore of Baltic countries as well as interdisciplinary and comparative studies are the integral part of the programme. Tallinn University is proud of its Baltic Film and Media School inviting to tackle the exciting challenges that the recent spread of digital equipment and drastic changes in the media world bring to our everyday realities.
We invite researchers from all disciplines and stages in their careers to send in paper abstracts of a maximum of 500 words as well as panel, workshop and roundtable abstracts of a maximum of 1000 words (including information on prospective presenters and papers) to one of the sections listed below:
History and Memory
Linguistics
Cultural and Biographical Studies
Literature, Folklore and Arts
Media, Film and Communication
Sociology, Youth Studies and Gender Studies
Political Studies, International Relations, Law and Economics
Environment and Geography
Proposals indicating the respective section should be sent to the conference office balticstudies2013@tlu.ee by 1 February 2013.
Important Dates:
Deadline for Abstract Submission February 1st, 2013
Notification of Acceptance March 1st, 2013
Conference Registration March 1st – June 1st, 2013
Conference in Tallinn June 16-19, 2013
Conference secretariat: Kerli Kangro and Ramona Dremljuga (balticstudies2013@tlu.ee)
We are looking forward to meeting you in Tallinn!
On behalf of the scientific and local organizing committees,
Katrin Niglas
Vice-Rector for Research
Tallinn University