Kitija Balcare participates in a seminar on waste and children’s culture

An international seminar “Waste and Children’s Culture: Thematics, Aesthetics, Ethics” took place at Stockholm University on 23–24 October, organized by the Department of Culture and Aesthetics of Stockholm University.

The seminar featured a presentation by Kitija Balcare, researcher at the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, University of Latvia, titled “Onstage and Offstage Dimensions – Waste in Ecotheatrical Performances for Young Audiences.” The paper explored various strategies through which the aesthetics of waste are revealed visually in theatre productions for children and youth, as well as the environmental narratives embedded within them. Accordingly, the presentation examined how ecotheatre—as a space of collective imagination engaging with the relationship between humans and the environment—has the potential to foster ecological awareness and encourage behavioral change.

The seminar brought together researchers from around the world who analyze how waste, pollution, and environmental issues are represented in children’s culture—both as thematic and aesthetic elements and as ethical and ecopedagogical challenges. The event served as an initial meeting to jointly plan further work on an international collective monograph, to be published in 2026 by an academic publisher.