Open Call: CBSS Summer University 2024 in Tallinn

The CBSS Summer University 2024, scheduled to take place in Tallinn from 15-21 July, will centre on exploring the connection between identity and resilience in the Baltic Sea Region. The main focus of this year’s Summer University is on cultural resilience—an in-depth examination of how societies respond to crises, standing resilient against the threat of losing their cultural identity. The event is organised by the Young People Network for Balticness (YoPeNET) and supported by the CBSS Project Support Facility (PSF).

Join one of the key summer programs focusing on the Baltic Sea Region and immerse yourself in exciting lectures led by distinguished faculty. Be inspired by the international environment, surrounded by participants from across the region.

Background

The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) has been a contested cultural, political, and economic space throughout most of its history. From the upheavals brought about by both world wars at the beginning of the twentieth century, through the alienation during the Cold War, the periods of opening and cooperation in the interwar period, and after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the region has gone through changes and transformations in its political frameworks, and the foundations of its identities and cultures. In recent decades alone, the BSR has transitioned from the hope of integration and region-building in the post-Cold War years, fueled by the fall of the USSR and advancing European integration, through a period of growing divergence, to the situation of today: the sense of threat brought about by the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, resulting in the isolation of the Russian Federation in Europe and the BSR, as well as the expansion of NATO to include Finland and Sweden. Furthermore, the region is vulnerable to the same challenges faced by all communities globally and in Europe, such as climate change and the influx of immigrants and refugees from outside of the region.

Participation

Participants of the CBSS Summer University 2024 are invited to engage in a dialogue on questions of strategic narratives related to cultural resilience in the face of numerous, often challenging transformations. The discussion will explore how Balticness/BSR identity can help strengthen resilience. How do societies in the BSR respond to crises? How resilient are democratic structures and cultural practices in the face of renationalisation, extreme ideologies, aggressor states, the climate crisis, and transformation? Can a shared, regional identity like Balticness help establish and strengthen resilience in cultural practices and intangible knowledge in a region that shares the natural environment, the cultural memory of contact, cooperation, and conflict, as well as transnational democratic institutions?

The choice of our Summer University’s location is not coincidental: Estonia will not only hold the presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States since July 2024 but is also the country that has faced most of the challenges that have arisen in the BSR in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. During the Summer University, we will also visit Tartu, the European Capital of Culture 2024, to experience the cultural dimension firsthand.

What will students learn when participating in the programme?

Participants will be trained to understand narrative strategies and identity construction related to the BSR, especially their capacity to build and strengthen cultural resilience. What narratives can be relevant in this context? What kind of social, cultural, political, ecological, and economic agency do these narratives possess (in the past, present and future)? Do different narratives with distinct effects exist alongside each other? After completing this CBSS Summer University, students will be aware of the interconnection between belonging and identity.

General information:

• When: 15–21 July 2024 (arrival on 14 July, departure on 22 July)
• Where: Tallinn, Estonia
• How many credits: 5 ECTS
• For whom: University students and PhD students within humanities or social sciences and advanced high school students with interest in the Baltic Sea region
• By whom: University of Gdańsk, Centre for Landscape and Culture at Tallinn University, Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO) at the University of Greifswald and Zatoka Foundation, in cooperation with other YoPeNET project partners and the Council of the Baltic Sea States.

Registration and application:

• Submit the application to: https://cbss-summer-university-2024.konfeo.com/ 
• Include a statement of intent with a short description of your interests and your motivation for taking the course (2 000–3 000 characters). Include your university affiliation, programme, and year.
• Please note that if you need a visa, send your application at your earliest convenience.
• Number of places: 25.
• There are no registration or tuition fees. The organisers also cover the cost of lunches and some dinners.
• Housing: for participants from outside Tallinn can be provided free of charge in hostels (shared rooms) – indicate the need in your application.
• Travel: travel expenses to and from Tallinn must be covered by the participants.

Deadline for applications: 20 April 2024.

Detailed programme and syllabus will be updated on: https://yopenet.ug.edu.pl

YoPeNET partners contributing to the CBSS Summer University: University of Gdańsk, Tallinn University, Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research, University of Greifswald, Zatoka Foundation, Aarhus University, Södertörn University, Danish-Belarusian Culture Society BELADANIA.

The Summer University is supported by the Council of the Baltic Sea States Project Support Facility and Estonian Presidency of the CBSS.