Linguistic Landscapes & Mindsets: Visible and Discursive Multilingualism

This year’s summer school focuses on the relationship between the Latvian, Russian, and English languages in the capital city of Riga, a relationship that has been strongly shaped since 2022 by the increasingly tense political situation and the war in Ukraine. Several processes can currently be observed. English is expanding in public space as well as within the educational system, where it is replacing Russian, which had previously been strongly represented. Russian, in turn, is being restricted by a wide range of laws and political measures, while at the same time continuing to be used in everyday life. Latvian functions as the country’s sole official language, yet is increasingly coming into competition with English. All of these processes, along with their causes and effects, will be examined and analysed scientifically in the context of the summer school.

This page is continuously updated. Changes may apply. Stay tuned for updates!

Cultural programme

  • Week 1, 4 July 2026–11 July 2026. Theme of the week: Multilingualism in Latvia: past and present, language policy and everyday life
    Date Time Activity Meeting point
    5/7/2026 5.00 pm Cooking Evening & Welcome Party Blaumana iela 27
    06/7/2026 5.00 pm Guided city tour of Riga Strelnieku 1, Narvesen
    8/7/2026 5.00 pm Talk show: Multilingualism in Latvia Brīvības iela 70
    10/7/2026 3:00am Sunrise at the Ķemeri Moor and a guided city tour of Jūrmala with Grigorys Salnits Gertrudes iela 54
  • Week 2, 11 July 2026–18 July 2026. Theme of the week: Multilingualism in Film
    Date Time Activity Meeting point
    12/7/2026 5:00 pm Cooking evening & welcome party Blaumana 27
    13/7/2026 5:00 pm Film workshop with Nelly Vysotskaja, Part 1: Warm up Brīvības iela 70
    14/7/2026 8:00 am Day trip to the Forest Brothers' Bunker with Grigorys Salnits Gertrudes iela 54
    15/7/2026 4.30 pm Film workshop with Nelly Vysotskaja, Part 2: Screenplay writing Brīvības iela 70
    16/07/2026 4:30 pm Film workshop with Nelly Vysotskaja, Part 3: Filming Brīvības iela 70
    17/7/2026 6:00 pm Film workshop with Nelly Vysotskaja, Part 4: Film screening, discussion Brīvības iela 70
    17/7/2026 7:00 pm Film evening: “Viss būs labi”
  • Week 3, 18 July 2026– 25 July 2026. Theme of the week: Multilingualism in Literature, Music, and Art
    Date Date Time Activity Meeting point
    19/7/2026 19/7/2026 5:00 pm Cooking evening & welcome party Blaumana iela 27
    21/7/2026 21/7/2026 8:00 am Day trip to Alsunga with Grygoris Salnits Gertrudes iela 54
    23/7/2026 23/7/2026 5:00 pm Performance and discussion with poet Semën Chanin and Prof. Dr Tomáš Glanc (University of Zurich) Brīvības iela 70
    24/7/2026 24/7/2026 5:00 pm Guided tour of the Jugla district with Alexander Semënov Brīvības gatve 409 https://maps.app.goo.gl/XnKDshfZfDoxXLyV9
  • Week 4, 25 July 2026–1 August 2026. Theme of the week: Latgale – Latvia’s Most Linguistically Diverse Region
    Date Time Activity Meeting point
    26/7/2026 5:00 pm Cooking evening & welcome party Blaumana iela 27
    28/7/2026 4:00 pm Guided tour of Riga’s “Moscow Suburb”
    30/7/2026 9:00 am Two-day trip to Latgale with an overnight stay Blaumana iela 27
    31/7/2026 SURPRISE!!!