The Department of Cultural Studies conducts research in the arts—including music, dance, theater, performance, and film—as well as interdisciplinary research on society and the environment, incorporating perspectives from the digital humanities. The researchers represent various disciplines in the social sciences and humanities—anthropology, sociology, art history, theater and film studies, musicology, folklore, and literary studies—and integrate a wide range of contemporary critical theories into their work, including ecocriticism, posthumanism, feminism and queer studies, affect theory, disability studies, narrative theory, and others.
Performing Arts, Performance and Film
In the Department of Cultural Studies, research into the performing arts, performance art, and audiovisual arts encompasses both a review of historical processes and contemporary experimental practices, in close interaction with the analysis of cultural policy and art criticism. One of the research areas is Latvian contemporary theater, contemporary dance, and the history of the performing arts, with a particular focus on transformations in the language of directing and choreography, as well as the role of art criticism (Dita Jonīte). In close connection with the performing arts, this research explores performance art, photography, and hybrid art forms, providing an in-depth analysis of nonconformism, corporeality, and interdisciplinary expressions in Soviet-era art in the Baltic and Eastern European regions (Laine Kristberga). In the field of audiovisual culture, the research focus is on the history and theory of Latvian and Baltic cinema, as well as the aesthetics of documentary and feature films (Elīna Reitere), and on representations of national identity and trauma in screen arts (Elīna Reitere and Jānis Ozoliņš). Contemporary theatre practices are examined through the lens of ecocriticism, defining the concept of ecotheatre and exploring post-anthropocentric forms of presence and materiality on stage (Kitija Balcare). Equally important attention is given to the institutional framework of the arts, cultural consumption, and the challenges of contemporary cultural policy, drawing also on methods from the digital humanities (Haralds Matulis).
Music in Latvia: From the Beginnings to the Underground
The Music Research Department combines classical historical musicology, contemporary academic music criticism, and the sociology of culture, creating a comprehensive picture of Latvia’s sound culture across the centuries. From a historical perspective, Latvian musical culture is studied in depth from its earliest beginnings, including the musical heritage of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, sources of early music, church music, and the connection between professional music and folklore traditions (Ilze Šarkovska-Liepiņa). At the same time, his research focuses on 20th- and 21st-century academic music, the development of Latvian symphonic and chamber music, contemporary compositional techniques, as well as the history of musicology and issues related to the perception of music (Dāvis Eņģelis). The study of popular music, subcultures, and alternative culture—or the underground—is essential. Using methods from the sociology of culture, this work analyzes the history of Latvian rock music, punk rock, and independent music; amateur art movements (such as choral culture and the Song Festival); as well as the social aspects of music production and consumption (Jānis Daugavietis).
Environment, Econarratives and Posthumanism
In response to global climate and environmental changes, this department places significant emphasis on environmental humanities, ecocriticism, and posthumanism. Researchers focus on the relationship between nature and culture, examining how it is constructed, experienced, and narrated in various media and social practices. A central focus is the study of econarratives, the discourse on climate change, and the interaction between humans and the environment in contemporary culture and everyday life, with particular attention to issues related to the Anthropocene (Dace Bula). Closely linked to the perception of the environment and place, research is conducted on social memory, oral history, the transformation of urban and rural spaces, as well as the impact of experiences of migration and exile on people’s connection to the environment (Ieva Garda-Rozenberga). This section explores the relationship between art, ecology, and sustainability in the context of environmental conflicts, including the relationship between climate change and cultural heritage, environmental activism, and climate emotions (Kitija Balcare). Meanwhile, in the field of literary and cultural anthropology, research focuses on speculative fiction, eco-dystopias, and the fantasy genre, analyzing the construction of alternative worlds, post-apocalyptic environmental scenarios, and posthuman identities in children’s and young adult literature (Ieva Melgalve). Critiques of environmental aesthetics and the exploitation of natural resources during the Soviet period are also reflected in studies of visual art and eco-performance (Laine Kristberga).
Gender Identity Studies
Gender studies and queer theory are among the most internationally recognized and theoretically diverse areas of focus within the Department of Cultural Studies, examining the representation of gender, sexuality, and power relations in literature, art, and society, from both historical and contemporary perspectives. Researchers are focusing on the study of masculinities and queer post-Soviet subjectivities in contemporary Latvian literature, popular culture, and cinema, drawing on approaches from narratology and psychoanalytic criticism (Jānis Ozoliņš). In-depth research is being conducted on queer history, the evolution of gender roles, marginalized identities, and their representations in the history of Latvian literature and modernist culture (Kārlis Vērdiņš). The gender perspective is also present in research on oral history and biographical narratives, where attention is focused on historical trauma, everyday life under Soviet rule, migration, and gender-differentiated experiences (Ieva Garda-Rozenberga). In turn, in studies of the visual arts, film, and the performing arts, gender issues intertwine with analyses of corporeality, theories of the gaze, and feminist aesthetics, examining the image of women, female directors, and the politics of the body in Latvian and Baltic cinema (Elīna Reitere), in contemporary dance and theater (Dita Jonīte), and in Soviet and post-Soviet performance art (Laine Kristberga). Similarly, the formation of gender and age-based identities is analyzed in the context of youth culture and literature (Ieva Melgalve).
Knowledge Transfer
The scientific expertise of our staff is further enhanced by international experience and education obtained at universities in both Latvia and abroad (the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Finland, and Norway), as well as by the opportunities for research and networking provided by international grants, scholarships, and residencies that provide opportunities for research and networking. This experience is integrated into their daily work as they conduct innovative research based on the latest approaches in critical theory and the digital humanities, as well as fieldwork and archival research.
The department’s researchers are also actively involved in cultural life: they organize national and international cultural festivals, exhibitions, and other events; they serve as curators, editors, critics, and mentors; jury members, and instructors in art and humanities programs at universities in Latvia and abroad.
