The 28th Biennial AABS Conference
“Baltic Studies at a Crossroads”

May 27–29, 2022, Seattle, WA

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have marked 100 years of independence, 100 years of de jure international recognition, and 30 years of the reestablishment of independence following a half century of Soviet rule. While acknowledging the past, the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Conference in 2022 will look toward the future to explore how the Baltic States will move forward into the next century, as a crossroads between Europe and Asia, Nordic and Eastern Europe. Similarly, the field of Baltic Studies is at a crossroads between new and old diaspora communities negotiating the implications of what it means to advance the study and research of the Baltic States into the next century.

The conference will build on the deep connections with the Baltic Studies and the Baltic Communities in the Pacific Northwest. The University of Washington (UW) is the only Baltic Studies Program in North America, offering courses in all three Baltic languages and different aspects of Baltic Studies. The conference will promote intersections of academic disciplines, scholarship, and community by focusing on the implications for the Baltic States in the future at the crossroads of different regions, cultures, religions, and historical perspectives. We will discuss the role of Baltic Studies in the next century as Soviet legacies fade and European futures are solidified. How does the region fit into larger European and transnational trends? What types of innovations do we see in the Baltic States? Where are the Baltic States headed in the future? The conference will showcase the latest cutting-edge Baltic research and highlight connections to local diaspora and the tech industry in the Pacific Northwest.

The conference will bring together scholars interested in Baltic studies from all over the world and foster collaboration between Baltic and Pacific Northwest researchers. The three-day program, to be held at the University of Washington campus May 27-29, 2022, will feature panels, roundtable discussions and workshops open to all UW affiliates. The conference will also include numerous public events, such as keynote talks by leading Baltic scholars, film screenings, exhibit openings and tours of UW’s Baltic collections.

Read Interviews with AABS Division Co-Chairs

The 2022 AABS Conference’s program is divided into nine broad divisions. The divisions represent a wide spectrum of subject areas, each focusing on a set of topics currently relevant to corresponding fields. AABS conducted interviews with several division chairs to preview the conference. Chairs who were not available for an interview are not listed here; they can be found on the divisions page.

Sociology, Anthropology, and Gender Studies (Joint Interview with co-chairs)

  • Ieva Zaķe, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Millersville University
  • Neringa Klumbyte, Associate Professor Department of Anthropology, Miami University

Communication and the Media (Joint Interview with co-chairs)

  • Asta Zelenkauskaitė, Associate Professor, Department of Culture and Communication, Drexel University
  • Andris Straumanis, Associate Professor Communication and Media Studies, University of Wisconsin River Falls

Literature and Linguistics

  • Solvita Burr, Visiting Lecturer of Latvian, University of Washington (Interview)
  • Inga Daraškienė, Visiting Lecturer of Lithuanian, University of Washington (Interview)

Arts, Music and Religion

  • Andres Kurg, Senior Researcher, Institute of Art History, Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn (Interview)

Libraries and Museums

  • Epp Annus, Lecturer, Ohio State University and Senior Researcher, Estonian Literature Museum (Interview)

Education, Digital Humanities, and Technology

  • Gabriele Salciute Civiliene, Lecturer in Digital Humanities Education,  King’s College London (Interview)
  • Vilma Zydziunaite, Director of the Institute of Educational Research, Vytautas Magnus University (Interview)

Conference Registration

Registration for the 2022 AABS Conference at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington is now open!

Conference registration rates for the conference are listed below for AABS members and non-members. We encourage you to become an AABS member and receive all the benefits of membership including access to the Journal of Baltic Studies, newsletter, and membership news.

The conference registration includes three keynote talks and receptions, a Journal of Baltic Studies sponsored continental breakfast, and graduate student luncheon for students.

Registration levels

    $50 – Student Registration AABS Member

    $100 – Regular Registration AABS Member

    $100 – Student Registration Non-AABS Member

    $150 – Regular Registration Non-AABS Member

Online registration will close three weeks before the conference on May 5, 2022. After that day you may register in-person during the conference at conference registration.

Conference Donors

We sincerely thank all of our supporters who have given to the conference or to AABS Program Expenses this year. You make the conference possible!

Platinum Supporters ($5,000 USD or more)
In Memory of Aina Liden
Baltic American Freedom Foundation
Kazickas Family Foundation
Stanford University Libraries

Gold Supporters ($1,000-$4,999 USD)
American Latvian Association
Baltic Studies Program, Yale University
Harriman Institute at Columbia University
Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute, Indiana University
Rotalia Foundation

Silver Supporters ($500-$999 USD)
Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, University of Wisconsin
Estonian American National Council
Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, Miami University
Journal of Baltic Studies
Lithuanian American Community of Washington State
Vytautas Magnus University
Zaiga Phillips

Bronze Supporters ($200-$499 USD)
Andris Ramans
Astrida R. Blukis Onat
Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, University of Pittsburgh
Consulate General of the Republic of Estonia in San Francisco
Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota
Inta Carpenter
Maksiminas Karaska
Petras Kaufmanas
Toivo Raun
Taylor and Francis Group
Vaira Pelekis

Supporters ($0-$199 USD)
Albinas Lukosevicius
Alina Clay
Amanda Swain
Anita Juberts
Antanas Suziedelis
Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
Barbara Conaty
Birute Slezas
Danute Petrauskaite
Egidijus Balandis
Guntis I. Smidchens
Harald Koht
Ints Kaleps
Irena Blekys
Irena Brokas Chambers
Ivars Steinbergs
Janis Lazda
Janis Chakars
Mara Lazda
Martha Thomas
Maryte Racys
Ojars Lams
Piotr Szlauzys
Ramune K. Kubilius
Robert Vitas
Ryo Nakai
Sándor Földvári
Saulius A. Suziedelis
Sibelan Forrester
Sigita Balzekas
Sigrida A. Renigers
Stanley H. Backaitis
Stanley Balzekas
Viktoria Skrupskelis
Violeta Kelertas
Vita Bite
Vita Savicka
Zivile V. Gimbutas
Žydronė Kolevinskienė