Centre for East European and Eurasian Studies - Ceurus, University of Tartu

01/04/2026

🔍 We are recruiting 2 post-doctoral research fellows (term 2.5 years) in the European Research Council grant "Empire of Solidarities" (EMPSOLID), led by Dr Catherine Gibson.
🔹 Application deadline: 4 May 2026. See more on the link in comments.

We're hiring two postdocs/research fellows (2.5 years, 100%) for the European Research Council (ERC) project EMPSOLID – "Empire of Solidarities: Empire of Solidarities: a Connected History of Private Charity Across a Decentred Romanov Empire, 1855–1914,” (PI – Catherine Gibson).

Preference for candidates with expertise on the Caucasus and/or Central Asia🌏, but applications focusing on other regions of the Romanov Empire are also encouraged.

The positions are based at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu, with a preferred start date of 1 September 2026

🗓️ Deadline: 4 May
🔗 Project website: https://empsolid.ee/
👉 Further details and application portal: https://candidate.recrur.com/public/jobad/EN/9a9cddc4-d

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

16/01/2026

A kind reminder that the deadline for the Annual Tartu Conference is approaching fast! Please submit your abstract by 25 January 2026. We look forward to your submissions & hope to see you in Tartu (again) in June!

📌 Call for Papers: Annual Tartu Conference on East European and Eurasian Studies, 10-12 June 2026, University of Tartu 🇪🇪
***Submission deadline: 25 January (link in comments)***
⏳ How time flies! In 2026, the Conference will be held for the tenth time. In a decade, thousands of scholars from all over the world have gathered in Tartu to discuss various issues in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Much has changed since we first started, both in our region, as well as in the discipline of regional studies, but the conference is still going strong. We look forward to welcoming you to Tartu next June!

04/11/2025

📌 Call for Papers: Annual Tartu Conference on East European and Eurasian Studies, 10-12 June 2026, University of Tartu 🇪🇪
***Submission deadline: 25 January (link in comments)***
⏳ How time flies! In 2026, the Conference will be held for the tenth time. In a decade, thousands of scholars from all over the world have gathered in Tartu to discuss various issues in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Much has changed since we first started, both in our region, as well as in the discipline of regional studies, but the conference is still going strong. We look forward to welcoming you to Tartu next June!

19/06/2025

🚀 Exciting news from University of Tartu Ukraine Centre - UTUC!

A brand-new course on democratic innovations and digital governance - STRIDE - is launching for changemakers from the EU's Eastern Partnership countries! 💡

It is open to early to mid-career changemakers aged 25–40 from: Armenia 🇦🇲, Azerbaijan 🇦🇿, Belarus 🇧🇾, Georgia 🇬🇪, Moldova 🇲🇩, and Ukraine 🇺🇦.

Led by Linköping University and the University of Tartu, this unique blend of online learning and in-person experiences in Sweden 🇸🇪 and Estonia 🇪🇪 tackles topics like AI ethics, digital inclusion, and institutional trust.

🔹 Application deadline: 26 August 2025
👇 Read more below

17/06/2025

Great opportunity for Ukrainian citizens working on EU integration! 🇪🇺🇺🇦
Apply now for the University of Tartu's EU-focused online programme - scholarships available!

🔹 Deadline: 11 August
👇 Read more below

12/06/2025

Day 1 of the Tartu Conference ✅

What a fantastic kickoff! 🎉

Numerous panels took place throughout the day, and then a fascinating plenary roundtable occurred at the University of Tartu's historic Main Building. The discussions were full of insightful perspectives.

The evening reception offered a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and a great opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and catch up with colleagues from near and far! 🤝🌍

📸 Some pictures from the day below 👇

06/06/2025

⏳ 5 DAYS UNTIL THE ANNUAL TARTU CONFERENCE!

Taking place 11–13 June! 🎓✨

Today, we're spotlighting the Plenary Roundtable:
🗣 "Democracy and Resilience in Eastern Europe and Eurasia"

Featuring:
🔹 Vello Pettai – Moderator of the plenary roundtable
🔹 Ketevan Gurchiani – Speaker at the plenary roundtable
🔹 Ryhor Nizhnikau – Speaker at the plenary roundtable
🔹 Oleksii Kolesnykov – Speaker at the plenary roundtable

👉 More info: https://sisu.ut.ee/tartuconference/

04/06/2025

⏳ THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

Just one week to go until the Annual Tartu Conference 2025, taking place 11–13 June! 🎓✨

Today, we are introducing the Keynote Lecture: "Tiny Gardens Everywhere: A Kaleidoscopic History of the Food Sovereignty Frontier" 🌍

Keynote lecture will be delivered by
🎙 Kate Brown, the Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in the History of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Keynote lecture will be moderated by
🎙 Łukasz Mikołajewski, sociologist and intellectual historian, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw.

🔔 Guest registration is still open until 4 June – don’t miss your chance to join us if you are interested!
👉 More info & registration: https://sisu.ut.ee/tartuconference/

30/05/2025

⏳ THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

Just two weeks to go until the Tartu Conference 2025, taking place 11–13 June! 🎓✨

We’re looking forward to welcoming scholars from around the world to beautiful Tartu for engaging discussions, fresh ideas, and meaningful connections across the field of East European and Eurasian studies.

With a bit of luck, we’ll hopefully enjoy some beautiful early summer weather - perfect for exploring Tartu’s vibrant streets, riverside cafés, and historic atmosphere in between sessions. 🌞

📸 Swipe through some memories from last year’s conference - and get excited for what’s to come!

🔔 Guest registration is still open until 4 June – don’t miss your chance to join us if you are interested!
👉 More info & registration: https://sisu.ut.ee/tartuconference/

21/05/2025

🎓 On 7–8 May, the CEERES (International Master in Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies) consortium held its Second Annual IMCEERES Student Conference, led by the University of Tartu and hosted online.

🧠 Over two days, 17 students reconnected after a semester apart, as the conference's main goal was to provide second-year students with valuable feedback from their peers and reviewers from partner universities before their final defense.
We're incredibly thankful to colleagues from the University of Glasgow, ილიას სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი • Ilia State University, and Uniwersytet Jagielloński for serving as panel discussants and providing expert guidance!

🗂️ This year’s conference featured five diverse panels, reflecting the programme’s interdisciplinarity:

🔵 Migration
🔵 International Relations
🔵 Gender Studies
🔵 Politics of Memory
🔵 Nationalism and Identity

🎥 Ahead of the event, each student recorded a short video summarizing their thesis, with a peer assigned as commentator. During the conference, the focus was fully on feedback and academic exchange.

As many hadn’t seen each other since being allocated to their third-semester universities, the conference also served as a means to strengthen the sense of a CEERES community! 🌍💬

Thank you to all participants, discussants, moderators, and organizers who contributed to the conference! 🙌

16/05/2025

🎤 Interview Time!

From the Field to Facebook...

Meet Michela Quercetti, an Erasmus+ Intern from Italy, working with the project. With a background in East European and Eurasian Studies, Michela is exploring displaced archives, contemporary Russian affairs, and the role of civil society in the Eurasian space.

📚 Learn what brought her to Estonia, what drives her research interests, and how she's shaping her academic journey at the University of Tartu.

👇 Read her story below and stay tuned for more researcher spotlights from !