Launched project on the environmental history of postwar Latvia

The Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia has launched a project funded by the Latvian Council of Science, “The Environmental History of Postwar Latvia: Landscape, Power and Society” (No. lzp-2025/1-0599), which aims to analyse environmental changes in Latvia after the Second World War.

By combining approaches from history, social sciences and environmental studies, the project will examine how the Second World War and the Soviet occupation affected landscapes, natural resources and their use, as well as societal perceptions of the environment. Particular attention will be paid to the interaction between power, society and the environment, to practices of remembering place, and to their impact on contemporary decisions regarding landscape preservation or transformation for the purposes of development and innovation.

A significant contribution of the project to Latvian society lies in fostering an evidence-based understanding of how historical processes have shaped today’s environment and development choices. The results will support policymakers and municipalities in spatial planning and in the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, while also promoting public participation and responsible environmental stewardship. By involving students and developing interdisciplinary cooperation, the project will strengthen research capacity and contribute to the sustainability of Latvian society through reflection on the cultural, social and environmental memory of the twentieth century.

Image of the project team (from left): Ilze Boldāne-Zeļenka, Valdis Kuzmins, Ieva Garda-Rozenberga, Ginta Elksne and Renārs Felcis.