Download Centre for Baltic and East European Studies Södertörn University

Stockholm 2016-06-26
CBSS Baltic Sea Region Summer School 2016
Centre for Baltic and East European Studies Södertörn
University
The Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES), being tasked with stimulating,
coordinating and developing Södertörn University’s research and doctoral education, took the
initiative to organize a summer University in Stockholm in June 2016. The guiding idea was
“Cultural Memory in Europe: East and West”. With this initiative, CBEES became part of a
network of academic institutions implementing the long-term priorities of the Council of the
Baltic Sea States (CBSS): regional identity, sustainable and prosperous region, and safe and
secure region. “Cultural Memory in Europe: East and West” is a building block in creating
regional identity for the Baltic Sea region.
Identity is among the most ambiguous terms in social science, which in the case of the Baltic
Sea region goes back both to deeper history and recent developments. Issues such as politics,
membership in international organisations, economics, and science are factors keeping the
Baltic Sea Region together as a region. Key questions to be answered include whether Baltic
Sea Region identity exists, how it came to exist, and how it can be defined. Creating regional
identity depends on joint values and common history. The most notable gaps include a lack of
single decision-making authority beyond regional organisations such as CBSS, and a lack of
unity of purpose among its potential stakeholders.
Given the ambiguous challenge of creating regional identity in academic terms, the task of the
Summer School was more about asking for future-oriented questions than giving tailor-made
answers. In this regard the Summer School was a particularly fascinating event. The course
gathered 23 students – mostly PhD and a few MA students - from across the Baltic Sea
Region, and from different disciplinary paths in academia. During 9 days and 16 lectures and
seminars, teachers, students and administrators vividly analyzed and discussed different topics
related to the theme of the course. The variety of teachers and students played well to enhance
a dialogue between east and west, and to understand its premises rooted in cultural memory.
The students took the topics with high interest, guided by an academic program that provided
input from leading academic institutions of the Baltic Sea region such as hosts University of
Södertörn, as well as University of Greifswald, University of Tartu and others.
Given the up-to-date character of the program and the high-level input, an academic discourse
was initiated. The participants not only highlighted the success of the event but drafted
questions developing the future agenda further. In this regard, comments such as the
following can be highlighted: “I liked it very much. The topics are very interesting to me. I
really enjoyed the fact that organisers have offered various formats. That we had other
activities apart from seminars (film, Skansen, City tour etc).”
Another student commented on how the Summer School aided creating Baltic Sea regional
identity. “It was open-minded, multidisciplinary and helps me to think about the Baltic Sea
Region from new points of view combining cultural and political matters.” (Quote from
evaluation sheet). Dining together also enhanced the communication between teachers and
students. It offered the opportunity enjoying the richness and diversity of Baltic Sea cuisine.
Overall the title of the Summer School “Culture Memory of Europe: East and West” became
crucial for an academic discourse about filling the long-term priorities with substance, as well
as indicating cleavages and windows of opportunity for developing guidance for Baltic Sea
regional cooperation. Even if Baltic Sea regional identity was debated jointly between East
and West, the difference between westerners, an essential Russian discourse and last but not
least a legacy of Soviet thinking and the impact of all three priorities became obvious. In this
regard the Summer University that CBEES organised generated further guidance for the
Council of the Baltic Sea States. The Summer School is offering a mutual opportunity for
students and decision makers on all levels. It became a positive test case of applied studies in
the Baltic Sea region.
Snegurochka by Nicholas Roerich