The anniversary conference will address global trends and tensions in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

From June 10–12, Tartu will host the 10th Annual Conference on East European and Eurasian Studies, where key cultural, social, economic, and political trends affecting Eastern Europe and Eurasia will be discussed. The conference will bring together more than 200 scholars from around the world.

The main theme of this year’s conference, held for the tenth time, is “Global Flows and Frictions in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.” The conference is organised by the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu.

The conference program committee notes that this year’s theme is particularly timely: “Across the world, established patterns of global integration and cooperation are being fractured by wars, intensifying geopolitical rivalries, societal polarisation, and economic uncertainty. These developments not only affect the opportunities, priorities, and freedom to conduct research across our disciplines but also underscore the importance of sustained and thought-provoking scholarly dialogue and debate. The research presented at this conference demonstrates the vital contribution of East European and Eurasian studies to understanding these transformations and their implications for the future of the region and the wider world.”

The conference’s 57 panel sessions will feature 215 scholars and experts from across Europe, the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. Topics range from the Soviet occupation to archival heritage and from disinformation to European Union foreign policy, covering not only Russia, Central, and Eastern Europe but also a broader international context.

The conference will open on June 10 with a high-level discussion in English on the topic “International Law, Russia, and the Imperial Structuring of the Global Order.” Estonian and German scholars will discuss the role of international law in the expression and implementation of the imperial ambitions of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, as well as in territorial expansion.

The conference will conclude on June 11 with a presentation by Dace Dzenovska, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, titled “Empires We Choose: Migration and Sovereignty in a Double Periphery.” The presentation focuses on Latvia’s transition from the Russian and Soviet empires to the European and Euro-Atlantic sphere, which transformed migration patterns, power relations, and concepts of sovereignty. More information about the conference can be found on the conference website.

The conference is supported by the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tartu.