The 50th issue and 25th anniversary of the journal ‘Letonica’
On 7 September 2023, the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia (LU LFMI) invited colleagues and readers to celebrate the 50th issue and the 25th anniversary of the journal Letonica at the Friends’ Room of the Latvian National Library.
Opening the event, LU LFMI Director Eva Eglāja-Kristsone looked back on the journal’s beginnings and development, emphasizing that the themes announced in the very first issue—literature, folklore, and art—have consistently remained at the core of Letonica’s interests. Over time, the journal has expanded to include environmental and digital humanities, social sciences, and history, thus covering one of the broadest thematic ranges among Latvian academic journals.
The journal’s Editor-in-Chief Jānis Oga (since 2023) stressed that the path taken by LU LFMI as the journal’s founder and publisher, together with its editors and contributors, constitutes an important part of the history of Latvian social sciences and humanities—despite changing and often minimal financial resources. He also noted that the journal contributed to LU LFMI receiving the highest rating in the international evaluation of Latvian research institutions in 2021.
The celebration was attended by former editors Elita Grosmane (1998–2002), Kārlis Vērdiņš (2011–2012), and Artis Ostups (2019–2022), as well as members of the editorial board, editorial staff, authors, partners, and readers.
Participants listened to a congratulatory address from Ina Druviete, Vice-Rector of the University of Latvia for Humanities and Social Sciences, who подчеркed that Letonica is a vivid testimony to the maturity of Latvian scholarship in a field crucial to the country’s existence—the humanities and social sciences. She highlighted interdisciplinary cooperation, joint work by Latvian and international scholars, high academic quality, and international recognition achieved over 25 years.
Greetings were also delivered by Rūta Muktupāvela, Rector of the Latvian Academy of Culture, and Vice-Rector for Research Anda Laķe. Together with the editorial team of the journal Art History and Theory from the Latvian Academy of Art, LU LFMI was congratulated by Elita Grosmane, Editor-in-Chief of the first eight issues of Letonica, and Kristiāna Ābele, who shared memories of the journal’s early years. Literary scholar and long-time LU LFMI researcher Dzidra Vārdaune also extended her congratulations.
The 50th issue of Letonica reflects current developments in the humanities and social sciences and presents recent research in these fields. Of the 16 article authors, three are LU LFMI researchers and 13 represent other research institutions, demonstrating strong scholarly cooperation at both individual and institutional levels.
The issue includes studies by Viesturs Zanders, Valdis Tēraudkalns, Sniedze Kāle, Austra Avotiņa, Gatis Ozoliņš, Ieva Vīvere, Rūta Muktupāvela, Lolita Ozoliņa, Ieva Vītola, Ieva Garda-Rozenberga, and Uldis Neiburgs, addressing topics ranging from Latvian cultural history and religion to folklore, music, urban narratives, and memory studies.
The review section features assessments of recent monographs by Zanda Gūtmane, Ivars Ijabs, Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe, Kaspars Kļaviņš, and Mārtiņš Mintaurs, offering critical perspectives on new works in literary studies, cultural history, and political thought.
The 50th issue was published with the support of the University of Latvia and the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, which has supported the journal throughout its 25 years.
Founded in 1998, Letonica is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed scholarly journal publishing original research in the humanities and social sciences. All articles undergo anonymous peer review. The journal is indexed in Scopus, ERIH PLUS, and EBSCO.
Issues of Letonica are available at major Latvian bookstores, at the Friends’ Room of the Latvian National Library, and at the LU LFMI publishing office in Riga (Mūkusalas iela 3). The journal is also available open access online.