Informal Gathering with University of Latvia Scholars: Encounters in Latvian Post-Exile Communities
On 3 December 2025, the Baltic Languages Department at Stockholm University hosted an open evening discussion for the local Latvian community, featuring researchers from the University of Latvia – sociologists Maruta Pranka and Daina Grosa, as well as literary studies researcher Elvis Friks. The event was held in Latvian and was moderated by SU doctoral student Signe Rirdance.
Informal Gathering with University of Latvia Scholars: Encounters in Latvian Post-Exile Communities 3 December 2025.
Researchers from the University of Latvia highlighted their current and past work in collecting life-stories of Latvians abroad, reflected on value transmission between Latvian exile generations and the new wave of emigrants, and discussed research on diaspora literature and post-exile identities.
Participants were asked to briefly reflect on their background and engagement in the Latvian community in Sweden, including how they identify themselves—exile, diaspora, Latvians in Sweden, Swedish Latvians or other self-descriptions. This led to a lively discussion on how multiple histories of migration coexist within diaspora communities.
The high attendance and engagement of participants testified to the community’s interest in questions of identity, memory and the experiences of Latvians abroad.
The event was part of the project “Pēctrimdas fenomens: transformācijas un pielāgošanās latviešu trimdas kopienā pēc 1991. gada” (“The Post-Exile Phenomenon: Transformations and Adaptation in Latvian Exile Communities after 1991”), funded by the Latvian Council of Science.
Last updated: 2026-06-24
Source: Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies Finnish Dutch and German