Leading Researchers Maija Spuriņa and Liene Ozoliņa Participate in the Memory Studies Association Conference in Prague

From 14 to 18 July, Maija Spuriņa and Liene Ozoliņa, Leading Researchers at the
LAC Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies, participated in the annual conference of the Memory Studies Association in Prague. As part of the conference programme, they presented a paper entitled “Mnemonic Framing of War and Militarization: A Research Project in Latvia in the Context of the Russian–Ukrainian War”, prepared within the framework of the project “Preparing for War: Meanings of War in Public Discourse and Youth Perception in Latvia”.

The presentation addressed both the overall conceptual design of the project and its first empirical observations derived from discourse analysis. The themes of war and militarisation, as well as the context, development, and impact of the Russian–Ukrainian war, featured prominently across numerous papers and panels at the conference. The researchers’ presentation attracted considerable interest.

Building on one of the observations discussed – namely, that contemporary
policymakers promoting militarisation must take into account society’s negative
memories and associations with the Soviet Army – the researchers and colleagues from other countries concluded that the field of memory studies would benefit from an internationally comparative study of memories of militarisation, encompassing both the idealisation of past militarisation and its associated traumas.

More about the conference: https://msaprague2025.dryfta.com/