Hard to believe it's been almost a month since we gathered for AABS 2026! Relive memories of the conference with a short photo album we've published online: vist.ly/582f6

AABS is pleased to announced Justina Smalkytė as the recipient of the inaugural Journal of Baltic Studies Publication Development Grant! Learn more about Justina's work and the grant: vist.ly/58qs3

CFA: Young Scholars International Research Competition on Communism, run by the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory. Open to unpublished Master's and Doctorate theses. Deadline Nov 1, 2026: https://mnemosyne.ee/en/competition/

New podcast episode! 🎙️ We sit down with Andris Banka to learn how the Baltic states became stalwart allies of the U.S., how they proved themselves after joining NATO, and where the alliance might be headed. Listen now: vist.ly/587ud

CFP: "Socio-Political Issues in Cultural Texts," a special edition of Studia Krytyczne / Critical Studies planned for late 2026. Deadline Aug 15, 2026: https://czasopisma.uni.opole.pl/index.php/sk/announcement/view/30

CFP: Fourth Annual BASEES Baltic Study Group Workshop, "Parallel Memories: People, Place and Environments in the Baltic States." Organizers welcome various interpretations of memory and environment and seek to provoke a wide-ranging discussion. Deadline August 15: https://bit.ly/4vClEg7

CFP: "Big and Small in the Baltic Sea Region: Politics, Military, Economy, Culture from the 19th to the 21st Century," September conference in Sankelmark, Germany for junior researchers. Deadline June 30: vist.ly/57qdb

AABS is pleased to recognize Holger Mölder as the recipient of a 2026-2027 AABS Academic Events and Projects Grant to support his organization of a workshop on populism, which is scheduled for June 30 and now open for registration. Learn more: vist.ly/57mzn

Joseph Ellis has been awarded a 2026-2027 AABS Academic Events and Project Grant to support the Baltic Studies Reading Room at Wingate University. Congratulations, Joseph! Learn more about the project: vist.ly/57hwy

AABS is pleased to recognize Evelina Kukarela for receiving the biennial Undergraduate Paper Award for her paper on collective memory and policy in Latvia. Congratulations, Evelina! Learn more about Evelina and her work: vist.ly/57dej

Due to the exceptional quality of candidates, AABS is pleased to recognize an Honorable Mention for the 2024-2025 Vilis Vītols Prizes for best articles in JBS: Ingrid Ruudi, for "Tallinn’s Freedom Square as a heterogeneous public space." Learn more: vist.ly/573t9

The 2025 Vilis Vītols Prize for the best JBS article has been awarded to Erfan Fatehi, Juha Herkman, Joonas Koivukoski, and Liisi Laineste for their piece on humor and Estonian national identity. Congratulations! Learn more: vist.ly/56y92

AABS is pleased to recognize Karl Stuklis with the Vilis Vītols prize for the best Journal of Baltic Studies article in 2024, "Revisionist national narratives in the memoirs of Estonian and Latvian Waffen-SS Legionnaires." Learn more: vist.ly/56vf3

AABS is pleased to recognize Paula Oppermann with an Honorable Mention for the 2024-2025 AABS Book Prize for her book "Thunder Cross: Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-Century Latvia." Learn more: vist.ly/56px4

AABS is pleased to announce that Andris Banka has been awarded the biennial AABS Book Prize for his monograph "America, the Baltic States and the Making of an Unlikely Security Alliance." Learn more: https://aabs-balticstudies.org/2026/05/30/aabs-2026-book-prize-awarded-to-andris-banka/

My first book talk was on Saturday at the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies conference in Urbana-Champaign, IL. A welcome opportunity to engage in dialogue with scholars in the field (and appropriate, given the support from @balticstudies.bsky.social that made publication possible).

Craving more Baltic Studies after our conference in Illinois? Join us in Sydney this October for the 22nd AABS Australasian conference! Submit your proposal by August 15: vist.ly/56aus

Hard to believe it's already over! AABS 2026 was a milestone conference: our 30th biennial. It facilitated the warm community and vibrant academic exchanges that remain the hallmark of Baltic Studies conferences. 1/5

Intellectual exchanges continue at AABS 2026! The University of Illinois campus has been alive with interdisciplinary discussions between Baltic Studies scholars of all ages from four continents and over a dozen countries. 1/4

Friday scenes from AABS 2026, leading with our plenary roundtable "A Changed Landscape." Senator Dick Durbin opened by reflecting on the importance of NATO. Panelists including former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis agreed Europe needs to act now to preserve its security. 1/3

It's a wrap on day one of AABS 2026! Friendly check-in staff and a grad student meet-and-greet got us going before our opening plenary, which emphasized the importance of diaspora communities around the world. 1/5

Welcome to AABS 2026! The sun is shining on the campus of the University of Illinois, and we’re excited to welcome you for three days of stimulating conversations. Registration opens at 3pm at the University YMCA in Latzer Hall, located at 1001 S Wright St. See you soon! Pic: AABS board members

We are happy to announce that we have been awarded the AABS Book Publication Subvention for publishing Patrick Monson’s upcoming volume “Judges of Empire”! #BalticStudies brill.com/display/titl...

Congratulations to Danila Rygovskiy for being awarded a 2026-2027 AABS Baumanis Grant! Danila will use the grant to support his Baltic Typographic Identity project. Learn more about Danila's work: vist.ly/55gvp

AABS is pleased to share that Laima Vincė Sruoginis has been awarded a 2026-2027 Baumanis Grant to support the research and writing of a historical novel entitled For Our Freedom. Congratulations, Laima! Learn more about Laima's work: vist.ly/55dmx

AABS is pleased to announce that Lisa Trei has been awarded a 2026-2027 Baumanis Grant for Create Projects in Baltic Studies to support her exhibition on photography in the Baltic states after the restoration of independence. Congrats, Lisa! Learn more: vist.ly/55bdm

Congratulations to Brill and Patrick Monson for receiving an AABS Book Publication Subvention for "Judges of Empire," Patrick's new monograph! @dgb-history.bsky.social Learn more about Patrick's research on the Baltic provinces of Imperial Russia: aabs-balticstudies.org/2026/05/23/b...

AABS is pleased to announce that Anna Herran has received a 2026-2027 AABS Dissertation Grant to support her research on historical commemorations of Estonian independence day. Congratulations, Anna! Learn more about Anna's project: vist.ly/556u5

Congratulations to Elena Hoffenberg for being awarded a 2026-2027 AABS Dissertation Grant! Elena will apply the grant to her research in the Lithuanian Central State Archives on interwar Jewish populations. Learn more: vist.ly/54zcb

Léo Henry has been awarded a 2026-2027 AABS Dissertation Grant - congratulations, Léo! @leo-henry.bsky.social Léo will use the grant to support his research on social hierarchies in Estonia. Learn more: vist.ly/54uc3

Newly published open access in the Journal of Baltic Studies: "What shapes environmental attitudes? Unveiling ethnicity’s role in environmental-economic decisions in Estonia and Latvia," by Stefan Tung. Available now for all readers: https://doi.org/10.1080/01629778.2026.2665623

AABS is pleased to announce that Rūta Vyšniauskaitė has been awarded a 2026-2027 Dissertation Grant - congratulations, Rūta! Rūta will apply the grant to her dissertation on political self-identification processes in the Vilnius region. Learn more: vist.ly/54p47

Congratulations to Marta Kalniņa for being awarded the 2026-2027 Jānis Grundmanis Postgraduate Fellowship for Study in the U.S. by AABS! Marta will use the fellowship to continue her MFA studies at Columbia University in New York. Learn more about Marta's work: vist.ly/54ghf

Roberts Kits has been awarded the 2026-2027 Mudīte I. Zīlīte Saltups Fellowship by AABS - congratulations, Roberts! As Saltups Fellow, Roberts will visit Stanford University to research civic engagement in defense innovation. Learn more: vist.ly/54egv

In a quick-to-publish world, what does it mean to slow your research down and take longer to digest the issues you're working on? What about when those issues themselves, like history museums, have long lifespans? Listen to the newest episode of the Baltic Ways to learn more: vist.ly/54bwb

AABS is happy to share that Rūta Bruževica has been awarded the 2026-2027 Aina Birnitis Dissertation-Completion Fellowship in the Humanities for Latvia - congratulations, Rūta! As Birnitis Fellow, she will be finishing her dissertation on Livonian guilds. Learn more: vist.ly/54axv

AABS is pleased to announce that Rasa Kamarauskaitė has been awarded a 2026 AABS Emerging Scholars Grant. Congratulations, Rasa! She will use the grant to research Lithuanian press coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. Learn more about Rasa's research: vist.ly/53vds

Congratulations to Kyle Estes for receiving a 2026 AABS Emerging Scholars Grant! Kyle will use the grant to support his research on politics in the Latgale region of Latvia. Learn more about Kyle's work: vist.ly/53rw5

Michael Cole has been awarded a 2026 AABS Emerging Scholars Grant to support his field research in Estonia on identity and music. Congratulations, Michael! Learn more about his work here: https://aabs-balticstudies.org/2026/05/04/michael-cole-awarded-2026-2027-emerging-scholars-grant/

AABS is pleased to announce that Anna Pilarczyk-Palaitis has been awarded a 2026 Emerging Scholars Grant! Anna will use the Grant to conduct an ethnographic study of narratives of the postwar “repatriation” of Poles from Lithuania. Learn more: vist.ly/53k2n

AABS is pleased to recognize Feliks Gornischeff for successfully completing his Emerging Scholars Grant through extensive primary source research on Baltic German diplomats. Read more about his project: vist.ly/537nv

What is the future of NATO? What does it mean for the Baltic states? We've asked these questions on the Baltic Ways podcast in the last few years. Listen now so you have the context to interpret current events: vist.ly/422jn

Recently published online in the Journal of Baltic Studies: "From Norway to Latvia: exploring reasons for return, experiences, and transnational living," by Inese Šūpule. Available now for JBS subscribers: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01629778.2026.2659755

CFA: Estonian Fellowships at Stanford University Three opportunities open to a wide range of scholars to come to Stanford. Learn more and apply by May 15: https://vabamu.ee/en/news/call-for-applications-fellowships-at-stanford-university2027/

Mark your calendars: on May 6, AABS member Dr. Paula Oppermann will present her 2025 book "Thunder Cross. Fascist Antisemitism in Twentieth-century Latvia" (University of Wisconsin Press) in discussion with former JBS editor Dr. Matthew Kott. Join on May 6 at 15.00 CET: vist.ly/42esz

Congrats to AABS grantee Arvydas Grišinas for publishing his article "Fighting with empathy: Lithuanian volunteers supporting Ukraine in Russia’s war of aggression" in the Journal of Baltic Studies. Article available for subscribers: https://doi.org/10.1080/01629778.2026.2657034

AABS is pleased to announce the publication of "Ethnic Relations in the Baltic Reconsidered," eds. Bradley Woodworth, Violeta Davoliūtė & Darius Staliūnas, supported by a 2025 AABS Book Publication Subvention Grant. Link to the book in post following!

Congratulations to CEU Press and John Freeman @johnffree.bsky.social for being awarded the AABS Book Publication Subvention for John's book on the colonial adventures of the Duchy of Courland! Learn more about the book and the award: aabs-balticstudies.org/2026/04/21/c...

Recently published online in the Journal of Baltic Studies: "Toward sustainable development goals in the transport and logistics sector: the progress of EU member states in the Baltic Sea region," by Aleksandra Bartosiewicz, Anna Misztal & Adam Kucharski Link below.

CFA: Estonian Fellowships at Stanford University Three opportunities open to a wide range of scholars to come to Stanford. Learn more and apply by May 15: https://vabamu.ee/en/news/call-for-applications-fellowships-at-stanford-university2027/