AABS 2026 at UIUC
The 30th Biennial AABS Conference
“Diasporas: Building Bridges Across Nations”
May 28–30, 2026
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Since the 19th century, Baltic diaspora communities from around the world have played a pivotal role in sustaining and preserving their countries of origin. From the streets of Chicago to Rio Novo in Brazil, the diverse transnational networks of Baltic diasporas have withstood empires, world wars, Soviet occupation, and the Cold War to help forge new identities and memory as independent peoples and nations. Therefore, it seems appropriate to reflect on the genealogies and the social, political, and cultural contributions of Baltic diaspora communities worldwide, as well as the experiences and perspectives of diaspora groups currently residing in the Baltic region.
The 30th biennial conference of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) was held on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on May 28-30, 2026, bringing together Baltic diaspora communities and Baltic Studies scholars from around the world. The conference featured panels from all fields of the humanities and social sciences, education, technology, transnational security, safety, and well-being.
Call for Papers
Proposals were due by October 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm Central US Time.
The Program Committee has reviewed the proposals and notified submitters of their decision.
AABS 2026 travel grants
The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies is pleased to inform students and early career scholars who anticipate attending the 30th Biennial AABS Conference “Diasporas: Building Bridges Across Nations” (May 28-31, 2025, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) that they will have the opportunitiy to apply for travel grants to support their travel to the conference, incl. airfare, lodging, meals, and ground transportation.
Other News
Documenting the Early Latvians of Philadelphia: Baumanis Grant Report from Peter Dajevskis
AABS is pleased to congratulate Peter Dajevskis for completing his project "Seeking New Beginnings, 1890-1910: The Free Letts," for which he received the Baumanis Grant for Creative Projects in Baltic Studies. Dajevksis and director Māra Pelēcis delved into the...
Justina Smalkytė Awarded JBS Publication Development Gran
The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies is pleased to announce that Justina Smalkytė has been awarded the 2026-2027 Journal of Baltic Studies Publication Development Grant to support her research on Jewish defendants tried in Soviet-occupied Lithuania....
Travel Grantees Reflect on AABS 2026 Conference
The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies is pleased share stories and experiences from the graduate students and early career scholars who received travel grants to attend the 30th Biennial AABS Conference held May 28-30, 2026, on the campus of the...