This was the theme for the 2012 Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies Conference held last weekend of April in Chicago. An interesting thought to ponder, when you consider the past twenty years.
The conference had over 200 participants attending from as far as Japan and Australia. Sonoko Shima of the Showa Women’s University in Japan, discussed the state of Baltic Studies in Japan and their upcoming tour of the Baltic States.
It is truli wonderful to hear that the scope of Baltic Studies is as far reaching as Japan.
Maira Bundza of Western Michigan University praised the Estonians at the archives in Tartu College for their organizational skills and resourcefulness. Bundza is compiling a list of places where one can study Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian communities in North America.
The conference spanned over three days, with many fascinating panels and discussions, too many too mention in this space. It was truly a wonderful opportunity to network with other scholars studying the Baltics, and to find out just how much remains to be studied.
Next year’s conference on Baltic Studies in Europe will be held in Talllinn from June 16-19, 2013, and the 2014 AABS conference will be held at Yale University from Mach 13-15.
Kristina Lupp
Estonian Life, Toronto
