100 Years Of Baltic Republics: Statehood And National Cultures In The Globalizing World

Description

A conference to celebrate the centenary of the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, bringing together scholars and practitioners from various disciplines from the Baltic states and Canada. The focus of the first day of the conference is on demography and migration, integration of the Russian minorities, and contemporary security challenges in the Baltic Sea region. The second day of the conference (September 22), focusing on language, identity, and the preservation of national heritage, takes place at the Estonian Studies Centre, Tartu College (310 Bloor St. W).

12:45-13:00
Words of Welcome

Randall Hanson, Interim Director, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Toomas Lukk, Ambassador of Estonia
Andris Ķesteris, President, Baltic Federation in Canada
Tea Varrak, Secretary-General, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research
Andres Kasekamp, University of Toronto

13:00-14:00 Keynote

Chair: Mihkel Tombak, University of Toronto

Keynote: Mare Ainsaar, University of Tartu
Baltic Population Challenges and their Impact on Societies

14:00-15:15
Panel I: The Challenge of Integration of Russian minorities in the Baltic States

Chair: Merli Tamtik, University of Manitoba

Piret Hartman, Estonian Ministry of Culture
Integration of the Russian-speaking Minority and Return Migration
Irene Käosaar, Integration Foundation, Estonia
Successes and Failures of Integration in Estonia
Juris Dreifelds, Brock University
Latvianization of Minority Schools: Progress or Regress in Ethnic Relations?

15:15-16:00
Coffee, snacks and networking

16:00- 17:30
Panel II: Baltic Regional Security

Chair: Toivo Miljan, Wilfred Laurier University

Aušra Park, Siena College, New York
Leadership and the Foreign Policies of the Baltic States
Aurel Braun, University of Toronto
The Geopolitics of Northeastern Europe in the Era of Trump and Putin
Marcus Kolga, MacDonald-Laurier Institute
Canada, NATO’s Eastern Flank and Russian Information Warfare
Andres Kasekamp, University of Toronto
The Baltic States and the Future of the European Union