A scholarly journal from the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) Södertörn University, Stockholm.
Issue 2025, 4: Download.
During the last eight years we have become used to living near the line of fire and the feeling of danger has been lowered: but everything changed the early morning on February 24, 2022. That day the first Russian rockets destroyed Mariupol’s anti-aircraft weapons and next day we observed civilian casualties in the eastern part of the city.
I decided to go to Sumy to support my parents and bought a train ticket. But the train was cancelled due to a Russian attack. So this was my destiny — to stay in Kyiv!
Like Stefan Zweig writing about the sophisticated idyll of Central Europe in the 1930s, I clutch at these memories like straws, at the same time that the Russian army is continuing to attack Ukraine, pulverizing its cities and killing its people. Although I have spent very little time in Ukraine, I have spent a lot of time with Ukraine.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 violated the territorial integrity of the independent Ukrainian state and is causing extreme suffering to the Ukrainian people. Baltic Worlds deplores and condemns this violation of international law and the cruelty of the war against the people of Ukraine. For many years, the political, economic, social and cultural development of Eastern Europe has been the principal focus of the scholarly research published in the journal. Baltic Worlds has extensive networks of readers, contributors and colleagues at educational and cultural institutions in the larger region of Easter Europe, including Ukraine and Russia. The current war threatens and concerns us all. With this statement Baltic Worlds declares its solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who are the innocent victims of Russian aggression, and demand that all Russian troops be withdrawn from Ukrainian territory with immediate effect and an immediate end to the Russian army’s attack on the civilians. Baltic Worlds condemns in the strongest terms the violent destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, cities, and educational facilities as a result of Russia's full-scale invasion. Stop the war immediately!
There has been open conflict between Russia and Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. On 24 February 2022, we woke to the news that Russia had begun a military invasion targeting all of Ukraine, following a period of increased aggression. Baltic Worlds has a specific focus on research into the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe and many contributors and colleagues come from Ukraine – as well as from Russia. And, for that matter, from Poland, Germany, the Baltic States and south-eastern Europe. In these uncertain times in Europe and the wider world, it is important to differentiate between a political regime and the researchers at the various universities. Baltic Worlds wants to continue to work with researchers and higher education institutions in Ukraine, as well as with researchers in Russia. Baltic Worlds as a scholarly journal will follow the development closely and will publish on the situation from a scholarly approach here at the website and/or in the printed journal. Baltic Worlds, as well as the publishing Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) and the whole Södertörn University, is deeply concerned about the consequences of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in terms of human suffering, academic freedom, and Ukraine’s sovereignty. We wish to support our colleagues in Ukraine in every way we can. The political regime led by Vladimir Putin must immediately cease its military aggression and respect international law. Ninna Mörner, Editor-in-Chief, Baltic Worlds Joakim Ekman, Director of the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES)
Baltic Worlds has in this special section “New Age and alternative beliefs in socialist Eastern Europe” invited scholars from different disciplines to address topics relating to the diversity of new religious beliefs in Eastern Europe during the socialist era and beyond. The authors, five scholars studying the multiple expressions of New Age spirituality on their own material, propose to view New Age from various angles.
To create a positive image abroad of a certain country many countries invest a lot or resources to promote themselves. However citizens are not always aware of the activities the authorities tasked with this mission by their government carry out abroad. In this essay therefore we will investigate to what extent the official country promotion coincides with the vision of the country's citizens in the cases of Ukraine and Sweden. The aim of this essay is to investigate the experience of representatives of Sweden and Ukraine regarding the promotion of countries.
Two panels on memory laws were arranged the same day as part of the annual series of on USSR 30 years after (1991-2021). The panel “Dealing with the totalitarian past: Laws on memory and legislation” took up how different countries have approached the Soviet past in legislation and by “memory laws”. The panel “Memory laws: an interregional perspective on commemoration and legislation” followed this theme up. An aspect discussed throughout the whole event was the Western vs. Eastern models of memory laws.
Preliminary Programme (links, dates, and hours to be specified, all subject to eventual changes) In December 1991, the Soviet […]
CfP: Please submit before February 20, 2021 on the New Age-related topics suggested here.
Baltic Worlds covers; the Baltic Sea Region, Eastern Europe, Russia, CentralAsia, Caucasus and the Balkan area.