"Diasporas: Building Bridges Across Nations"
May 28-31, 2026

The 30th biennial conference of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) will be held on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on May 28–31, 2026.

Home to one of the most preeminent Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies collections in North America, the Slavic Reference Service and the University Library invite all Baltic Studies researchers, scholars, and community members to participate in the next installment in a long tradition of engaging, multidisciplinary conferences. Participants should expect to engage in productive academic discussions, encounter groundbreaking research, and make new connections across our community. Visitors are also encouraged to make use of the University’s research collections and enjoy the nearby city of Chicago, home to large Baltic diaspora communities.

With an eye to that inclusive conference spirit and inspired by the Baltic communities in Chicago and the Midwest, the theme for the 2026 conference will be “Diasporas: Building Bridges Across Nations.”

Since the 19th century, Baltic diaspora communities from around the world have played a pivotal role in sustaining and preserving their countries of origin. From the streets of Chicago to Rio Novo in Brazil, the diverse transnational networks of Baltic diasporas have withstood empires, world wars, Soviet occupation, and the Cold War to help forge new identities and memory as independent peoples and nations. Therefore, it seems appropriate to reflect on the genealogies and the social, political, and cultural contributions of Baltic diaspora communities worldwide, as well as the experiences and perspectives of diaspora groups currently residing in the Baltic region.

We welcome proposals for roundtables, panels, and workshops, though individual paper proposals will also be considered. Proposals may be from all fields of the humanities and social sciences. Early career scholars and scholars based in the region are especially encouraged to submit proposals. Graduate students may also choose to submit poster proposals.

We particularly invite proposals that draw attention to the diverse geographic spaces inhabited by diaspora and transnational communities from and in the Baltic region.

Proposals are due by October 17, 2025 at 11:59 pm Central US Time.

The 2026 AABS Conference Program is divided into eleven broad divisions:

    •       Arts, Music, and Religion 

    •       Publishing and Communications

    •       History, Memory, and Identity 

    •       Jewish Studies

    •       Women and Gender 

    •       International Relations, Regional Security, and Law  

    •       Digital Humanities, Museums, Archives, and Libraries 

    •       Literature, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies

    •       Migration, Diasporas, and Diaspora Community Organizations 

    •       Politics, Economics, and Environment  

    •       Sociology, Anthropology, and Education