Latvian Identity and Knowledge Strategies as Resources for Societal Resilience (NAMS)

The project NAMS (‘house’) examines how Latvian identity functions as a resource of societal resilience under geopolitical pressure. It treats identity not as a fixed essence but as a historically layered and contested “living house” of meanings shaped by epistemic plurality – coexisting academic, vernacular, spiritual, creative and policy-driven knowledge logics. Focusing on the folklife sphere, where identity has been continuously produced through state institutions, disciplines and grassroots practice, the project studies how heritage is activated, commercialized and reconfigured in contemporary society.

Through archival research, fieldwork with heritage communities, critical disciplinary history, analysis of vernacular knowledge and spirituality, and a national survey, the project analyzes identity resources, risks and future imaginaries. The project links identity and cultural heritage with national security, analyzing how communities of cultural spaces in crisis could act as resilience infrastructures and proactive strategists.

Results will include scholarly publications, datasets, and practice-based guidelines co-created with communities and policy actors. The impact will be twofold: conceptual – renewing the vocabulary, evidence, and relevance of Latvian identity in global debates; practical – strengthening democratic knowledge cultures, cultural preparedness, and heritage maintenance.