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Folklorist and culturologist Simon J Bronner visiting Riga and giving guest lectures at the Latvian Academy of Culture

17.10.2017

From 28 October until 15 November, 2017 world renowned American researcher and professor at the Pennsylvania State University Simon J Bronner will be visiting Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to give guest lectures in the fields of cultural studies and folklore. The initiator of this visit is the Latvian Academy of Culture, taking into account that works by Simon J Bronner such as “Explaining Traditions: Folk Behaviour in Modern Culture” has influenced several research projects coordinated by the Latvian Academy of Culture. The aim of this visit is to provide unique opportunity for the students and researchers in the Baltic States to meet the author as well as to build up closer relationships among researchers in the Baltic States and the USA.

The main event of the visit will be Simon J Bronner’s speech at the international research conference “Culture Crossroads XI” on 3rd November, 2017 at 11:30 in the theatre house of the Latvian Academy of Culture “Zirgu Pasts”. With his lecture “Managing Tradition: Framing and Festing Culture, Locality, and Nationhood in the Twenty-First Century” Simon J Bronner will open the 3rd day of the conference focusing on various transdiciplinary research projects.

On 30th and 31st October 5 different lectures by Simon J Bronner on the subjects of traditions, museums and festivals will take place at the conference centre of the National Library of Latvia:

1)”Breaking down the „Explaining Traditions: Folk Behavior in Modern Culture” – A cycle of 3 lectures on 30th October, from 10:00 until 16:00. Registration for the lectures until 26th October: http://ej.uz/bronners_explaining_trad

2) “Folk museum analysis based on the essay “Folk museums redux”31st October, from 15:00 until 16:30. Registration for the lecture until 26th October: http://ej.uz/bronners_folk_museums

3) “Folk festivals and performing folk arts” - 31st October, from 17:00 until 18:30. Registration for the lecture until 26th October: http://ej.uz/bronners_folk_festivals

On 8th November at 18:00 in the museum “Jews in Latvia” Simon J. Bronner will give a guest lecture “The Jewish Joke Online”, which looks at the controversies over Jewish jokes when they go public online. Registration for the lecture until 3rd November: http://ej.uz/jewish_joke

The lectures are organised in collaboration with the National Library of Latvia and the museum “Jews in Latvia”. Lectures are financially supported by the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (BAFF).

All lectures are free of charge and the working language in all lectures is English.