The Second Baltic Heritage Network Seminar for Young Diaspora Researchers

January 26, 2010

A second Baltic Heritage Network seminar for young diaspora researchers was held in Tallinn on the 21st of January. The seminar was attended by students from the universities of Tallinn, Tartu and Helsinki as well as staff from different Estonian memory institutions.

The first session of the seminar took place in the lecture room at the Tallinn City Museum. The discussion on diaspora research was moderated by Ms. Kaja Kumer-Haukanõmm from the Centre for Estonian Diaspora Studies at Tartu University and Ms. Anu Korb from the Estonian Literary Museum, and focused on the following subjects: how the researchers had decided on their topics, the difficulties that might arise and how these difficulties could be overcome, where to find research material and the possibilities of diaspora research.

The second session took place at the Expatriate Estonian Literature Centre in the Academic Library of Tallinn University. The Centre’s staff, Ms. Anne Valmas, Ms. Eve Siirman and Ms. Aita Kraut, introduced the collections and their history, as well as the workings of the Centre’s original databases. They also gave practical advice on the usage possibilities of information technology.

The seminar was attended by thirteen participants, who also discussed the young researchers’ topics of interest and collectively thought about how to find new angles and necessary sources for research.

Maarja Merivoo-Parro