Past AABS Conferences

THE 2024 AABS CONFERENCE IN NEW HAVEN: THE BALTIC WAY: UNITY AND GIVING AID

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have for over the past century shown the benefits of shared action and solidarity. The three states sought recognition of their independence following World War I, and following World War II – through the years of Soviet occupation – they maintained that recognition through collaborative efforts. In recent decades the joint efforts of their peoples were seen in the peaceful Baltic Way demonstration in August 1989 when Balts joined hands from Tallinn to Vilnius across a distance of 600 kilometers, and in the three countries’ together joining NATO in 2004. Today, the three Baltic countries are leading the world in per capita aid to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Gathering at the 29th biennial conference of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS), held on the campus of Yale University on June 13-16, 2024, were scholars dedicated to the study of the peoples and lands around the Baltic Sea. The conference featured panels from all fields of the humanities and social sciences, education, technology, transnational security, safety, and well-being. The conference drew attention to the larger shared space throughout the Baltic Sea region as well as to the role the peoples of the Baltic are playing on an all-European and global scale. The conference was co-hosted by Yale University and the University of New Haven.

THE 2022 AABS CONFERENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: BALTIC STUDIES AT A CROSSROADS

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 looked 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 built 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 promoted 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. It discussed 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 three-day program, held at the University of Washington campus May 27-29, 2022, featured panels, roundtable discussions and workshops. The conference also included numerous public events, such as keynote talks by leading Baltic scholars, film screenings, exhibit openings and tours of UW’s Baltic collections.

THE 2020 AABS CONFERENCE AT QUEENS UNIVERSITY: NEW DIRECTIONS IN BALTIC STUDIES

The 2020 AABS Conference at Queens University: New Directions in Baltic Studies aimed at exploring new directions in the field: new and innovative research methods, case studies, pedagogy, and research areas. Unfortunately, given widespread travel restrictions and other measures that were set by state and local authorities in response to the spread of COVID-19, the AABS Board of Directors announced in spring of 2020 that the AABS 2020 Conference, scheduled to take place from May 28–30, 2020 in Charlotte, NC, was cancelled.

AABS invited all scheduled participants of the AABS 2020 Conference to attend the 14th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CBSE), “Rights and Recognition in the Baltic Context,” being organized by the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies (IRES) at Uppsala University from September 1–4, 2021.

On Saturday, April 17th, the first Baltic Studies Teaching and Learning Workshop, was held by Wingate University via Zoom. The workshop was organized by Joseph Ellis, AABS VP for Conferences from 2019–2020 and current adviser to the board. The workshop was aimed at Baltic scholars primarily residing in the American South. Though initially scheduled as an in-person event at Wingate University, Wingate, NC, continuing challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the workshop online.

THE 2018 AABS CONFERENCE AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY: THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BALTIC INDEPENDENCE

The 2018 AABS Conference at Stanford University: The 100th Anniversary of Baltic Independence celebrated two important milestones – the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) and the 100th anniversary of independence for the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The conference featured 124 panels, four keynotes, two exhibits, and numerous cultural and social events. The three-day program was attended by 470 presenting participants and 200+ members of the general audience.

Photo credit: Keith Uyeda, Stanford University.