64th Annual Conference of the Estonian National Museum: Estonia-Swedes. A Diaspora with Roots
18.-20.03.2026Estonian National Museum
The 64th Annual Conference of the Estonian National Museum takes place from the 18th to the 20th of March 2026. Titled “Estonia-Swedes. A Diaspora with Roots” the conference is motivated by the eponymous exhibition from the museum, shining a light on one of the indigenous minorities of Estonia. The conference provides an opportunity for researchers from different disciplines to present their research on the origins, mobility, heritage and cultural contacts of the Estonia-Swedes whilst also developing discussion between researchers from different countries and involving local Estonia-Swede communities.
The conference features 20 presentations by researchers and field professionals, as well as panel discussions involving museum staff connected to the exhibition, representatives of Estonia-Swede communities, and academic researchers.
Registration opens on the 6th of January on the conference website and will remain open until the 10th of March.
The conference presentations will be recorded and will remain available for future reference.
Conference Organising Committee:
Sofia Joons, Research Fellow, University of Tartu
Aivar Jürgenson, Senior Research Fellow, Estonian National Museum
Hele Kiimann, Research Manager, Estonian Maritime Museum
Kristel Rattus, Chief Curator of Exhibitions, Estonian National Museum
Saale Randaru, Programme Manager, Estonian National Museum
If you have any questions, please contact: conference@erm.ee
Programme
18th of March
Plenary session by Jörgen Hedman. The Swedes in Estonia
I
Margareta Hammerman. The Estonian Swedes' flight across the Baltic Sea.
Josefine Sjöberg, Ann-Catrin Östman. Refugees within the Russian Empire? Estonia-Swedes as irregular migrants in the Finnish Archipelago ca 1810–1840.
Glenn Kranking. “60 Bloody Letters”: Elmar Nyman’s Collection of News from Estonia’s Swedish Community in the Early Nazi Occupation.
II
Ivar Rüütli. Ten Years of the Estonian-Language “Eibofolke” – Reflections on Translation.
Christopher Thiele. Recent SOV projects enabled by Våra Anor.
Anu Pink, Maret Tamjärv about compiling the book on Estonia-Swedish folk costumes.
Opening of the exhibition “Five Brides” in the foyer in front of the exhibition “Estonian Swedes.”
19th of March
III
Sofia Joons. Song-Collectors from Near and Afar. A comparison of insiders’ and outsiders’ perspectives on Estonia-Swedish music culture.
Kristel Rattus. Estonia-Swedish identity in biographical interviews.
Piret Põldver, Reeli Reinaus. Collecting and researching Ruhnu local lore.
IV
Henry Timusk, Kata Varblane, Elisabeth Hedfors. Vormsi island, yesterday, today and tomorrow. An example of implementation of the Estonia-Swedish cultural heritage.
V
Anna Liisa Regensperger on the museum programs related to the Estlandssvenskar-exhibition at the Estonian National Museum.
Elisabeth Hedfors. Lecturing Swedes without any pre-knowledge about the Estonia-Swedish history.
VI
Roundtable discussion.
Guided tour of the eponymous exhibition.
20th of March
VII
Eva Liina Asu. Overview of the RUNSKA project: Documenting and promoting Runska, the endangered Estonian Swedish dialect of Ruhnu Island.
Eva Liina Asu, Miina Norvik, Karl Pajusalu. The position of Ruhnu Estonian Swedish in the linguistic contact area of the Gulf of Riga.
Ida Västerdal. Genitive inflection in the Nuckö dialect.
VIII
Tiina Kull. A Glazed Bodice for the Island Bride: Imported Fabrics in the Wedding Traditions of Ruhnu.
Edgar Mirjamsdotter. The Aibo Tapestry: Cultural Transmission through Threads.
Mariliis Vaks. Research on the wooden artifacts of Estonia-Swedes at the Estonian National Museum.
Maria Lindén. The preservation and regional variations of the Finnish Swedish folk costumes.
Concluding remarks.