RSU academics, PhD student take part in Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies conference in USA

At the beginning of June, the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) organised a conference that was held at Stanford University (California, USA).  It marked two important events: 50 years since the foundation of the AABS and the 100th anniversary of the Baltic Republics – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) teaching staff and a PhD student of the programme Communication Culture and Multimedia also took part in the conference.

470 current or future scientists presented their reports or posters during the three day programme of the conference that was attended by more than 200 interested attendees. In total, there were 124 panel discussions on 16 topics, for example, Losers! Failure and Frustration in Baltic History, The Baltic States and the Global Frontier of Technology and Innovation, Fake News, Post-Truth, and the Baltic Public, How has Latvian Media Framed Migration Problems? etc. The conference programme was enriched by various cultural and social events.

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Opening of AABS 2018 Conference, held at Stanford University – Nils Muižnieks gives a lecture "The Baltic States and Human Rights in Europe: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow". Photo: Keith Uyeda, Stanford University

Four special guests honoured the conference by attending and giving presentations:

• Norman Naimark gave a lecture: Russian and East European Studies and Baltic Studies: A Historical Exploration,
• Nils Muižnieks with a lecture, titled The Baltic States and Human Rights in Europe: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,
• Agnia Grigas with a lecture, titled 50 Years of Transforming Geopolitics and Baltic Studies and
• Lauri Mälksoo gave a lecture, titled The Baltic States at 100: The State Continuity Claim in International Law and in Relations with Russia.

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History Corner – building, where panel discussions were held (participants gave lectures). Photo: Edgars Engīzers

RSU was represented at the conference by the dean of the Faculty of Communication, Prof. Anda Rožukalne (lecture: How has Latvian Media Framed Migration Problems: Argumentation, Discourses, Visual Representation, Media Strategies of Intolerance Justification and Explanation?), Assoc. Prof. Ilva Skulte (lectures: How has Latvian Media Framed Migration Problems: Argumentation, Discourses, Visual Representation, Media Strategies of Intolerance Justification and Explanation? un Making Sense Through Our Own Fear: Reflection and Framing of Migration in Latvian Media – "Diena," "Latvijas Avīze," and "Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze" (2015–2016)), as well as second year PhD student of the programme Communication Culture and Multimedia, Diāna Kalniņa (lecture: Activity of the Latvian Population in the Public Sphere and their Limiting Factors).

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Stanford University. Photo: Edgars Engīzers

The conference was organised by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies and the Stanford University library. The Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies is the largest scientific association for researchers who are interested in studying Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The global network comprises scientists and supporters from Australia, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Russia, Latvia, Great Britain, Lithuania, Finland, USA and other countries. Stanford University is considered to be one of the leading academic libraries in USA. The library contains one of the best collections of Baltic books nationwide and it is actively involved in supporting Baltic projects and activities and promoting Baltic studies at Stanford and elsewhere.