XIII Baltic Heritage Network Youth Seminar

January 16, 2013

The Baltic Heritage Network Youth Seminar series moved to Tartu for a pre-Christmas event. What better theme to choose for this seminar than food – Estonian diaspora food culture and Christmas traditions.

The afternoon began with an introduction by Karin Kiisk, who discussed her recent work putting together the personal archives of Hans Teetlaus at the Estonian National Museum. This was followed by the first presentation by AnnemariPõder, who recently completed her thesis on the return of Siberian Estonians to Estonia. We would like to congratulate Annemari on the completion of her Masters Degree.

The topic of food always sparks interesting discussion, and while AnuKorb and Sander Jürisson did not specifically study food culture in their research, the topic of food always seems to seep in. AnuKorb, a long-time researcher of Siberian Estonians, introduced us to the customs and foods associated with the celebrations within Estonian communities in Siberia. Sander Jürisson had recently returned from a research trip to Brazil. In his presentation, “Nothing but beans and rice. Estonian adaptation to Brazilian food culture,” Sander talked about the food he was served during his stay, and typical Brazilian meals.

The aim of the Baltic Heritage Network (BaltHerNet) youth seminars is to bring together young diaspora researchers from different fields of study (history, sociology, cultural studies, literature, art, music and others): university students at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies level. The seminars also welcome university students who are just beginning to look into diaspora research.

Kristina Lupp