LV Latviski

The 44th issue of the humanities journal "Letonica" (English edition) goes to readers in July and introduces the paradigm of the environmental humanities and its relation to Latvian history and today's challenges.

The issue is edited by environmental geographer Anita Zariņa (Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia), philosopher Artis Svece (Faculty of History and Philosophy, University of Latvia), and environmental geographer Ivo Vinogradovs (Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia). In the introduction to the issue, the relevance of environmental humanities from a global perspective is stated, and the contribution of Latvian researchers is highlighted.

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On 14 June, the seminar "Public spaces: new forms of digital discourse(?)" with Stuart Dunn will take place at the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, organized in cooperation with Riga Technical University.

The seminar will start at 10:00 and will last up to an hour and a half.
Place: The reading room of the Archives of Latvian Folklore, Floor 5, the National Library of Latvia (Mūkusalas street 3).

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Eva Eglāja-Kristsone

During the next few months, Ukrainian researcher Iryna Pupurs will be working at the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia. Iryna Pupurs is a literature researcher from the T. Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv (http://www.ilnan.gov.ua), department of comparative literature. Her main research interests include Orientalism in the Ukrainian and European literatures, Romanticism, imagology, and the problems of comparative literature studies. At the ILFA she will do a study on conceptual principles of creating modern literary encyclopedias by investigating the Latvian experience. She will also do research on comparative history of Ukrainian Romanticism and continue the study of Orientalism in Ukrainian Literature. Iryna Pupurs will be conducting a public seminar sometime in May to introduce her research projects.

An application to the fellowship grant program for Ukrainian scholars of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia and the State Education Development Agency is expected to provide support hosting for Iryna Pupurs.

LFMI continues to actively participate and take a coordinating effort in the international #ScienceForUkraine movement. #ScienceForUkraine movement.

Photo: ILFA’s director Eva Eglāja-Kristsone (on the left) and Ukrainian literature researcher Iryna Pupurs



03.10.2022. ILFA short-term grant possibility for Ukrainian hum-soc scholars registered in Latvia

Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art (ILFA) of the University of Latvia welcomes Ukrainian humanities and social sciences researchers already registered in Latvia to contact us in case of interest to prepare an application (first deadline October 19) for a short-term full-time grant (2000 EUR per month, including taxes). Provable research experience in the fields of post-Soviet & decolonial arts (especially folklore and folk music), urban studies, or gender/women studies is required.

Information about the grant program (in Latvian): https://lzp.gov.lv/2022/09/21/par-ukrainas-petnieku-iesaisti-fundamentalo-un-lietisko-petijumu-projektos/

Meanwhile, we are looking for mid-term and long-term grant options. Communication languages: English (preferred), Russian, and we will do our best to answer also in Ukrainian.

For further information, contact: Ieva Vīvere (ieva.vivere@lulfmi.lv)

https://scienceforukraine.eu/

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A study on the history of 19th century Latvian literature performed by the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia was published in February 2022 by the prestigious academic publishing house "Peter Lang" in Berlin, Germany.

The book is published in the series "Cross-roads. Studies of Culture, Literary Theory, and History" in English titled "A New History of Latvian Literature: the Long Nineteenth Century". The aim of the study was to analyse and interpret 19th-century Latvian society and culture in relation to the emergence of modernity. Emphasising the need to approach the history of literature from an interdisciplinary perspective, the work has involved specialists from various disciplines. The book was compiled and edited by literary scholars Pauls Daija and Benedikts Kalnačs, with the participation of art historian Kristiāna Ābele (Art History Institute, Art Academy of Latvia), literary scholar Inguna Daukste-Silasproģe, historian Mārtiņš Mintaurs (National Library of Latvia), folklore researcher Ginta Pērle-Sīle and Germanist Aiga Šemeta (University of Latvia).

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On 30 March 2022, the 80th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia will host the session "Language and Culture in the Digital Age".

The session is dedicated to digital humanities and resource development, as well as to the role, use and research of language and culture in today's digital world.

Organisers: Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, Livonian Institute of the University of Latvia, digitalhumanities.lv

Sessions programme.

Join conference here: platform ZOOM 10:00-15:30.

The Section is organised within the framework of the projects "Digital Resources for Humanities: Integration and Development" (VPP-IZM-DH-2020/1-0001) and "Multifunctional dictionary of Livonian" (VPP-LETONIKA-2021/2-0002).


The #ScienceForUkraine initiative is underway on Twitter Account @Sci_for_Ukraine. It is collecting information and tweeting about the help universities and research institutions offer to students and researchers from #Ukraine. Please use #ScienceForUkraine hashtag on Twitter to help us to find your tweet!

To join the initiative, please visit the website: https://scienceforukraine.eu/, where the latest offers for Ukrainian students and researchers appear. Also visit the Twitter account @Sci_for_Ukraine, which publishes help offers from different countries.

When reporting the offered help to the Ukrainian research community, please add as many details as possible: institution, discipline, funding (yes/no), free accommodation (yes/no), for how long, email address, link to the website. That would help a lot!

There are a variety of ways in which you can help and even the smallest support makes a difference. The listings collected in our database contain following offers (often a combination of them):

Please note that what we are collecting here are offers directed specifically to scholars fleeing Ukraine, not general calls or programmes where everyone else can apply.

The initiative was initiated by researcher Sanita Reinsone from the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia. Read Yvan Pandele story on how initiative began "Meet the Latvian scholar rallying support for Ukrainian researchers".

#standForUkraineNow #RussiaInvadesUkraine #ScienceForUkraine

On 30 March 2022, the 80th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia will host the session "Language and Culture in the Digital Age".

The session is dedicated to digital humanities and resource development, as well as to the role, use and research of language and culture in today's digital world.
Organisers: Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, Livonian Institute of the University of Latvia, digitalhumanities.lv
The Section is organised within the framework of the projects "Digital Resources for Humanities: Integration and Development" (VPP-IZM-DH-2020/1-0001) and "Multifunctional dictionary of Livonian" (VPP-LETONIKA-2021/2-0002).

We are pleased to announce that the 43rd issue of the journal Letonica has been published with a focus on the disciplinary history of folkloristics and related fields through the theoretical approaches of post-socialism and post-colonialism. The issue includes five articles – four of them are by Latvian researchers: Toms Ķencis, Anete Karlsone, llze Boldāne-Zeļenkova, Rita Grīnvalde and Rita Legčiļina-Broka, and they are joined by Ukrainian scholars Pavlo Artymyshyn and Roman Holyk. The issue is in English, on open access and is available here.

The guest editors of the issue are Toms Ķencis and Digne Ūdre.





From 2022 to 2024, Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art will implement the Latvian Council of Science's fundamental and applied research project "Folklore Revival in Latvia: Resources, Ideologies and Practices" (led by Ieva Vīvere (Tihovska)).

This research project will extend the perspective of humanities on the research of social movements by implementing a community-engaging, interdisciplinary, methodologically diverse study of the resources, ideologies, and practices of folklore revival in Latvia.
More about the project: http://lulfmi.lv/.../Folklore-Revival-in-Latvia-Resources...
Photo by Vaira Strautniece, 1978, Archives of Latvian Folklore, LFK 19780062.



The 2022 conference of the ISFNR Committee on Charms, Charmers and Charming 6–9 September 2022, Riga (Latvia)

At various times and in various societies, there have existed, alongside the texts and practices based on the canons of science and religion, other unofficial but widely practiced traditions. The traditions of charms and folk medicine feature traits of both 'high' cultures and peripheral otherness, in practices that have interacted over time. Historically, their co-existence has often been peaceful and complementary, though at times violent as well. Traditions practiced by the masses could be banned and persecuted. This clash was based on the values of different cultures, religions, and ethnic groups, as well as economic considerations. At the same time, the antagonism between these values enriched tradition, whether that be the clashes between official religion and folk religion, permitted and forbidden medicine, correct and deluded texts and practices, or so on. Priests, monks and educated doctors have fought for the right to heal the people; church canons, prayers, and the cult of saints have influenced folk traditions; the development of conventional medicine has changed local traditions, while local conditions have determined the regional peculiarities of official religion and conventional medicine.
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Viktors Hausmanis, academician, long-time researcher and former director of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art at the University of Latvia, celebrated his 90th birthday on 6 December. On 16 December, the latest book of V. Hausmanis "Anšlavs Eglītis' Plays Written in America and Their Fates" was opened at the jubilee celebration.

The book expands the knowledge about the history of Anšlavs Eglītis' plays in exile, their stage life in America and Australia, gives an insight into the unexplored archival material, which, thanks to the director Kārlis Gulbergs, has come from Australia into the hands of the author of the book. The book reveals the creative connection of directors Osvalds Uršteins, Laimoņš Siliņš and Kārlis Gulbergs with the multifaceted Anšalvs Eglītis.

On 8 December, a new Scientific Council was elected at the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, which will serve for five years. Dace Bula, Jānis Daugavietis, Ieva Garda-Rozenberga, Rita Grīnvalde, Benedikts Kalnačs, Toms Ķencis, Edīte Leščinska, Jānis Oga, Jānis Ozoliņš, Ieva Vīvere (Tihovska) and Kārlis Vērdiņš were elected to the Scientific Council.


From 1 to 3 December, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania will host the international conference "Theatrum Libri: The Press, Reading and Dissemination in Early Modern Europe", dedicated to the centenary of the Archives of the Republic of Lithuania.

On 3 December, the conference will be opened by Sanita Reinsone, Senior Researcher. She will give a plenary presentation on "Participatory digital heritage: values, meanings, and practices".


On 25 and 26 November, an international conference on "A Multidisciplinary Approach to Intangible Cultural Heritage" takes place in Paris. The conference has been postponed several times and is now held in a mixed mode - in person and remotely. It is organised in the framework of the project "Qualifying and Disqualifying Intangible Cultural Heritage: Sites for Decision-Making" (2020-2021) supported by the Latvian-French cooperation programme Osmosis. The project's lead institution in Latvia is the Latvian Academy of Culture, with Dace Bula and Digne Ūdre from the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Arts of the University of Latvia. Dace Bula is also a participant of the conference, and in her paper she will analyse how the concept of intangible cultural heritage has been used in Latvian science policy documents.