Building Baltic Scholarship: Highlights from the BASEES Third Annual Workshop sponsored by UCL Doctoral School

By Stefan Tung, PhD Candidate at UCL SSEES. His doctoral research investigates the role of ethnic identity in shaping economic attitudes and policy preferences in Estonia and Latvia.

On 30-31 October 2025 the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies (BASEES) Study Group on the Baltic States held its third annual workshop at the University of Glasgow, with financial support from the UCL Doctoral School (and co-funded by the BASEES and the Council for European Studies). I am pleased to contribute as part of the organising committee for this workshop.

The workshop aimed to bring together postgraduate and early career researchers. One of the primary aims of the study group is to support Baltic studies in the UK, and we were pleased to welcome several researchers from UK institutions. We were also delighted to include participants from institutions beyond the UK, including the Baltic States. The growing network is a promising sign of expanding international connections.

The four research panels across the two days of the workshop covered a range of topics and showcased the diversity of research on the region. The four panel titles- ‘Contesting Spaces and Borders in the Baltics’, ‘Resilience and Transformation in the Baltics’, ‘The Baltic States in the Interwar Period’ and ‘Memory of Sound in the Baltics’- do not do justice to the fascinating array of presentation themes which our participants brought to the discussion. We were delighted to have two postgraduate students from UCL SSEES to present their research, including the making of the 1966 Tallinn old town protection zone and the stigma and resilience of sex workers in the Baltic States. In addition, we heard two excellent keynotes from Professor David Smith of the University of Glasgow, and Professor Eglė Rindzevičiūtė from Kingston University. In the talks, they encouraged us to reflect on the state of both Baltic States and humanities and social science research, including opportunities of collaboration, the value of interdisciplinarity and practical challenges in conducting research in and for the Baltic States.

A novel feature of this year’s workshop was expert panels that provided early career researchers with advice and guidance about opportunities on: archives and digital humanities; employment and fellowships; and publishing. We are very grateful for the speakers for sharing their expertise in these areas and shining a light on the processes involved with using new archival facilities, finding fellowships and for publishing research.

It was excellent to build on the foundations established when re-instituting the study group in 2023. This year’s workshop facilitated meaningful connections among researchers, including collaborations between UK-based scholars and those from the Baltic States. Participants presented cutting-edge research on topics such as sound memory in Baltic post-Soviet environment and feminist formations in post-socialist Lithuania, which sparked engaging discussions and new ideas for future projects. The event also included practical skill sessions, such as publishing and fellowship applications. Above all, we are proud to see the continued growth of a vibrant community of Baltic States researchers in the UK, with increasing international participation. Looking ahead, we aim to launch further initiatives and welcome suggestions for future events or workshop topics.

The organisers of the workshop are Dmitrijs Andrejevs (University of Manchester), John Freeman (independent scholar), Karl Stuklis (University of Glasgow), Paris Pin-Yü Chen (University of Birmingham), Rasa Kamarauskaitė (University of Amsterdam) and Stefan Tung (University College London)