January 2026. Digest #3

Jump to

Publications 📚

Open Access Balčus, Zane. “Participatory Approach to Documentary Filmmaking in the Films of Herz Frank and Juris Podnieks.” KinoKultura, no. 91, 2026 link.

Open Access Budrytė, Dovilė, Violeta Davoliūtė. “Continuity or Change? the Russo-ukrainian War and Decolonization of Memory in Lithuania.” Global Studies Quarterly, vol. 5, no. 4, 31 December 2025 link.

Abstract

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been described as an “inflection” point, a “post-colonial moment” which has fundamentally reshaped identities and memory politics in Central Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states (Mälksoo 2022; Michta 2022). Is it really so? What was the transformative power of this event, as distinct from that of other epochal turns, such as the collapse of the USSR? How does this event as a “critical situation” compare to the other, relatively recent developments in identity and memory politics? To gain insight into these questions, this paper will analyze the evolution of memory regime in Lithuania (with references to the other two Baltic states) since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, assessing the impact of Soviet collapse, the return of Russian aggression with the invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The focus here is on these events as “decolonizing moment(s)” (Maria Mälksoo’s term) with transformative power. Which identities, which agencies became pronounced during these “critical situations”? Which new discourses were articulated? How do the developments in memory regimes during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine compare to the previous “critical situations” (the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the events in 2014)? The paper consists of three structured case studies (1991, 2014 and 2022) that include the developments in Lithuania’s memory landscape, analysis of the debates and tensions surrounding the removal of Soviet-era monuments and other processes associated with “mnemonic decolonization”—attempts to transcend the Soviet colonization of national memory and establish a new memory regime supportive of national resilience and security. The goal of the case studies is to capture processes associated with mnemonic decolonization, understood as breaking away from colonial memory regimes and assertion of new subaltern subjectivities, and explore their relationship with mnemonic securitization.

Open Access Romanovska, Alina, Žans Badins, Evita Badina. “Between Empire and Nationhood: Competing Narratives on the Latvian War of Independence.” Language, Individual & Society, vol. 19, 2025 link.

Abstract

The article examines competing narratives about the Latvian War of Independence through the lens of memoirs by Andrievs Niedra and Pavel Bermondt-Avalov. The study aims to demonstrate how personal and collective memories are constructed within autobiographical texts and function as tools in the symbolic struggle for historical legitimacy. The methods of memoir and narratology are employed as the methodological foundation. The research materials - two sets of memoirs written by the authors in the 1920s and 1930s - enable us to trace how each narrator selects and organises facts, appealing to different cultural frameworks: Latvian national memory and Russian emigration discourse. Narratological analysis shows that the choice of emplotment influences the ideological tone: in one case, the events are depicted as a tragic struggle of a ‘traitor of the people,’ while in another, as a heroic tribute to anti-Bolshevism. The results of the study demonstrate that memoirs are not passive accounts but active shapers of historical reality, where personal memory is ‘stitched’ together using cultural codes and collective myths. The processes of self-representation and ideological selectivity, through which authors aim to justify their positions, are uncovered.

Balodis, Gunārs. Cits Kino. Latviešu Kino Mākslinieka Dzīve Un Darbs. Latvijas mediji, 2025. link

Annotation

The life story of film artist Gunārs Balodis, which simultaneously reveals the development of Latvian cinema history and the upheavals of the 20th century. The author tells of his family roots in Cēsis, the fates of his parents and grandparents during years of war, revolution, and changes in power, as well as his own professional path—from the Janis Rozentāls School to studies at the then-prestigious Moscow Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). The book highlights the artist’s contribution to the creation of Latvian cinema, his collaboration with directors such as Rolands Kalniņš and Aloizs Brenčs, and his unique artistic style and experience. Personal tragedies and memories of contemporaries are woven into the text, supplementing the portrait with human warmth. “Cits kino” (Another Cinema) is a story of an artist’s perseverance, his creative world, and Latvia’s cultural heritage.

Open Access Hercberga, Lena, v Jašina‐Schäfer. “Governing and Living Through Failure: Russian Speakers in Ethnocentric Nation‐building Projects of Estonia and Latvia.” Nations and Nationalism DOI.

Abstract

This article contributes to nationalism studies by demonstrating how states use failure as a governance tool to regulate national belonging and by showing how people experience and reinterpret failure in ways that unsettle dominant national imaginaries. Drawing on ethnographic research with Russian speakers in Estonia and Latvia, we explore how individuals cast outside ‘communities of value’ as ‘failures’ negotiate such experiences differently across generations. We show that while state discourses frequently frame Russophones as failing national cohesion, their mundane withdrawal or occasional refusal of dominant discourses, frequently dismissed as passive or disobedient, can be read as subtle acts of care and agency that sustain alternative modes of life. Situating these experiences within literature on failure, we argue that failure is not merely deviation from national norms but a historically sedimented, affective and generative condition that illuminates the contradictions of ethnocentric nation-building while opening space for reimagined forms of national membership.

Senvaitytė, Dalia. “Modern Pagan Traditions in Lithuania: Navigating Romantic Nostalgia and Creativity in Ritual Year Celebrations.” The Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies, vol. 8, no. 1 link.

Abstract

This paper examines annual celebrations among Native Faith communities in Lithuania in contemporary society. The analysis is based on ethnographic research conducted by the author between 2015 and 2025. The study investigates both newly introduced holidays and adaptations of traditional Lithuanian festivities within a modern sociocultural context, focusing on exploring the creativity of Lithuanian modern pagan traditions, particularly the observance of the spring and autumn equinoxes. The paper highlights how individual initiatives and socio-cultural factors shape the evolution of these traditions. It also looks at the creative reinterpretation of rituals to illustrate how communities preserve and transform their heritage. Additionally, the dissemination of these traditions to the broader society is presented, revealing a dynamic interplay between nostalgia for ancient pre-Christian practices and contemporary expressions of identity within modern Lithuanian paganism.

New Journal Issues 📖

Open Access Baltic Worlds, Vol. XVIII, No. 4 (2025): “Remodeling the fabric of Europeanness”, edited by Ninna Mörner.
link

Open Access Baltic Screen Media Review, Vol. 13, No. 1 (December 2025).
link

Open Access LETONICA, No. 60 (2025): “Rainis and Aspazija among Contemporaries in the European Cultural Context”, edited by Eva Eglāja-Kristsone.
download issue

Open Access The Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1 (2025), edited by Skaidrė Urbonienė and Žilvytis Šaknys.
The first number of the eighth volume of the Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies is organised by geographical region rather than theme and consists of articles from Lithuania. Some of the articles are connected with the history of ethnology and folkloristics (Ž. Šaknys, J. Šlekonytė, I. Šidiškienė, L. Petrošienė); two articles analyse the theme of intangible cultural heritage (S. Urbonienė, V. Tumėnas); two articles are dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic, using comparisons of the specificities of Lithuanian and Bulgarian culture (R. Paukštytė-Šaknienė, R. Račiūnaitė-Paužuolienė); several other articles are devoted to traditional Lithuanian religions (G. Lukoševičiūtė, D. Senvaitytė); and one article is dedicated to the interaction of tradition and innovation (V. Džekčioriūtė). The issue ends with a in memoriam for Ekaterina Anastasova, editor-in-chief of this journal (L. Gergova).
link

Tuna, No. 4 (2025).
Tuna is a journal of historical culture that has been published since 1998. The journal is published by the National Archives of Estonia in cooperation with the Tallinn City Archives, the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory, and the Society of Estonian Archivists.
link

Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis, Vol. 118 (2025): “The Art–Labour Relationship in Contemporary Art “, edited by Lina Michelkevičė, Edgaras Gerasimovičius.
This issue of Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis is dedicated to exploring the concept of the artistic labour in contemporary art. Its premise emerged from observing the transformations in this field over recent decades—changes that began with the fall of the Iron Curtain and the restoration of democratic systems in Central and Eastern Europe. The countries of the former Eastern Bloc, particularly those once part of the USSR, rushed to adopt Western art practices and to reintegrate themselves into an art history from which they had long been excluded by the control and censorship of the now-collapsed regimes. New artistic forms and strategies flourished: performance, installation, interventions in public space, collaborative practices, and media art. Conceptual approaches and organizational capacities gained increasing importance, at times even overshadowing traditional artistic skills. Labour—one of the most politicized and tightly regulated themes in socialist visual culture—again became a central axis of artistic practice for some, who sought to reflect the shifting economic, political, and social realities.
link

Open Access *as a Journal, Vol. 9 (2025): “Vessel”, edited by Defne Ayas.
link

Open Access Baltistica, Vol. 60, No. 2 (2025).
link

Latvijas Arhīvi, No. I-II (2025).
link

Grants

AABS 2026-2027 Grants and Fellowships
The deadline is February 1, 2026.
Apply

Media & Podcasts 🎧

Ieva Akuratere and Andris Slapiņš (Video)
By: Garainis. Lsm.lv
What story builds a bridge between the voice of thunder and the lens of a camera? What paths has Ieva Akuratere trod together with director and cameraman Andris Slapiņš? The penultimate screening of the year for the documentary series ‘Garainis’—tracking the struggle for freedom then and now, shamanism, Kapitālais remonts (Major Overhaul), friendship in a boat, and a dog.
Watch

Minority Identity in Baltic Literature and Film (Podcast)
By: Baltic Ways
This episode of the Baltic Ways podcast welcomes Dr. Liina-Ly Roos, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the German, Nordic, Slavic+ department. The discussion centers on Liina-Ly’s recent book: The Not-Quite Child: Colonial Histories, Racialization, and Swedish Exceptionalism (University of Washington Press, 2025), in which she analyzes films and literature that portray Indigenous Sámi, Tornedalian, and Finnish-speaking children and how these figures disrupt the normative understanding of growing up in Sweden. These cultural texts are filled with tensions of assimilation, invisibility, and the struggle to grow in a society that demands conformity to a specific “Swedishness.” The discussion also considers parallels to the Baltic context. Dr. Roos is a graduate of the University of Washington and a grant recipient from the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies.
Listen

Conferences 📢

Ceecon26 “(Un)Certainties”
Dates: 2026-10-08 to 2026-10-09
CfP Deadline: 2026-01-15
Place: Berlin, Germany, German Association for East European Studies (DGO), the Freie Universität Berlin (FU) and the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)
Description: How much certainty is there within the apparent uncertainties? How do people and societies deal with growing uncertainties, and how does this influence the stability of orders? How do changes of regional power relationships, structures, and institutions intersect with global developments? The inherent tension between certainty and uncertainty also raises definitional and methodological issues: What exactly constitutes (un)certainty? How can it be measured or observed?
Website

From Empire to Minority: Baltic Germans from Late Nineteenth Century to the 1930s
Dates: 2026-01-23 to 2026-01-24
Place: Riga, Latvia, Faculty of Humanities, University of Latvia
Description: While the narratives of nationalism, Balticness, and Russification are among the most studied topics in Baltic history and historiography, narratives of Germanness are less so. This conference seeks to draw attention to the most recent research on these issues and to put the arising questions in a new light. We seek to look anew at the position of the Baltic Germans between the Russian and German empires from the late nineteenth century until the late interwar period, when these former imperial elites had turned into mere minority groups in independent Estonia and Latvia.
Website

Yale European and Eurasian Studies Graduate Student Conference
Dates: 2026-05-06 to 2026-05-07
CfP Deadline: 2026-01-19
Place: New Haven, USA, The European Studies Council (ESC) of the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University Description: In the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, we are especially receptive to initiatives that further the decentralization and decolonization of the study of the former “communist bloc” of the Soviet Union, Central and Eastern Europe, and Eurasia at large. The results of the selection will be communicated by January 23, 2026.
Website

Young Researchers and Innovators “Print Culture and Translation in Central Europe (1500–1700): Methods, Problems and Approaches.”
Dates: 2026-06-30 to 2026-07-03
CfP Deadline: 2026-01-31
Place: Tallinn, Estonia, Under and Tuglas Literary Institute of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
Description: The Summer School brings together YRIs and established scholars to explore early modern print culture, translation, and knowledge transfer through lectures, training sessions, participant presentations, and guided visits to historically significant sites. Topics include manuscript and print cultures, translation between Latin and vernacular languages, public spheres, gender and agency in translation, and Digital Humanities approaches.
Website

Media Literacy in the Baltics: Identity, Ai, and Security
Dates: 2026-03-07 to 2026-03-15
CfP Deadline: 2026-01-20
Place: Riga, Latvia
Description: one-week, field-based program in Latvia examines how media, technology, and identity intersect in one of Europe’s most dynamic and geopolitically sensitive regions. Combining lectures, workshops, and site visits in Riga and Daugavpils, participants explore the relationship between information integrity, multilingual belonging, and national security in the age of artificial intelligence. Working alongside journalists, educators, and civic actors, students engage firsthand with how disinformation, language policy, and digital innovation shape the Baltic information space.
Website

Festivals & Screenings 🎬

Herz Frank’s 100 Anniversary Program
Dates: 2026-01-16
Place: Riga, Latvia, Film Museum
Description: The screening of the documentary Bridges of Time (2018, 78 min) will be followed by a discussion with directors Kristīne Briede and Audrius Stonis, moderated by Jānis Putniņš. In addition to exploring the featured film, the conversation will provide insight into the upcoming project Hercs Franks: Life After Death by Audrius Stonis. The event is free of charge and will be conducted in both Latvian and English.
Website

Mark Soosaar 80: Author’s evening
Dates: 2026-01-14
Place: KUMU
Description: Mark Soosaar is a documentary film-maker whose evocative and poetic films introduced a level of subjectivity never seen before. Soosaar is the founder of the Pärnu Museum of New Art, an organiser of the Pärnu Film Festival, a promoter of cinematic and visual arts, and a spokesperson for Kihnu culture. He will turn 80 on 12 January, and audiences will be treated to one of his masterpieces, Earthly Desires (Maised ihad, 1977), and the newly restored Harbour in the Mist (Sadam udus, 1986).
FB link

Poétiques Baltes • Estonie, Lettonie, Lituanie
Dates: 2026-01-07 to 2026-01-18
Place: Paris, France, Forum des images, Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, MK2 Bibliothèque, and other locations
Description: This retrospective explores Baltic cinema (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) from the 1960s to the early 2000s, highlighting a “poetic documentary” tradition that emerged during the post-Stalinist era. By prioritizing subjectivity, formal experimentation, and visual virtuosity over Soviet propaganda, these filmmakers utilized the “poetic” as a form of political resistance and emancipation from state ideology. Featuring 52 films, the program connects this historical search for artistic freedom to contemporary geopolitical tensions, offering a profound look at how cinema serves as both a sensitive witness to reality and a sanctuary for the imagination
Website

DOCPOINT TALLINN
Dates: 2026-02-03 to 2026-02-08
Place: Kino Sõprus, Kino Artis
Description: 38 top-tier films, including the long-planned Pirjo Honkasalo focus and masterclass, award-winners from last year’s festivals, currently trending and timeless topics, some new Estonian releases, and much more.
Check out the program on the DocPoint website

Exhibitions 🖼️

Ojārs Ābols. Man’s Absurd Projects on Earth
Dates: 2026-01-10 to 2026-05-10
Place: Riga, Latvia, Latvian National Museum of Art
Description: During his life, not a single personal exhibition of Ojārs Ābols’ oeuvre took place in Latvia, yet he actively participated in artists’ group exhibitions. After Ābols’ death, his wife Džemma Skulme continued the artistic processes they both had initiated in Latvia.
Released to coincide with Ojārs Ābols’ exhibition, Dr. art. Elita Ansone’s monographic study Ojārs Ābols. Man’s Absurd Projects on Earth aims to bring together both sides of Ābols’ life – the communist one and the pro-Western one, his conformism and his non-conformism, attempting to grasp who exactly was Ojārs Ābols.
Website

Quick Links 🔗

Satori Survey: Joys and Disappointments in Latvian Cinema of 2025
Responders: Inga Pērkone, Elīna Reitere, Uģis Olte, Dita Rietuma, Edmunds Jansons, Līga Gaisa, Rūdolfs Deinats, and Laima Graždanoviča.
link

Latest Kylye Minougue’s holiday music video was filmed in Riga.
Produced by Nafta Films and Sofija Ķezbere. Production design Martins Straupe. was shot at locations famously featured in the 1993 Latvian Christmas classic, Ziemassvētku jampadracis (Christmas Chaos).
Music video

“Dispatch from Perloja: How the shattering of empires after WWI turned one tiny Lithuanian village into a ‘republic’”. Story by Will Mawhood for The Beet

“Packaging patriotism: Kalev chocolate and Estonia’s mythic self-image.” Post by Johanna Hürter for Lossi 36

News 📰

Latvian writer Nora Ikstena dies after suffering a serious illness, aged 56.

“The Year of Protests” — that is how the past year was labeled by editors LRT, the national broadcaster which itself remains at the center of heated legislative debates. The protests are set to resume after the New Year holidays. Meanwhile, some look back with shared happiness at the vivid images of the past year, which saw civil society unite in front of the capital’s government buildings. Others, however, are turning to the President, questioning how his silence — motivated by “non-interference in freedom of speech” — leaves that very freedom without any protection.

Similarly, Andrejs Vīksna, the editor-in-chief of Satori, characterizes the past year in Latvia through his year-end column. In it, he remembers the crowds at Doma Square advocating for European values and rights, and a survey of Latvian writers and poets.

Back to list