The conference discussed aspects of the ethnic history, policy and movements in the Republic of Karelia, identity issues of indigenous ethnic groups – Karelians, Veps, and Russians, as well as the evolution and present-day status of their languages and cultures in Karelia and Russia. The conference worked in four sessions: “Karelians in Karelia and beyond: identity, language, culture”, “Veps in Russia: interregional contacts, ranges, borders, traditions”, “Russians of Karelia: interactions with neighboring ethnic groups”, “Karelians and Karelia in 19th-21st cc. visual representations and narratives”. Two roundtable sessions were additionally organized: “Kalevala: a new perspective of traditional topics”, “Mechanisms of preserving the Karelian language: case study of the language nest in Vedlozero Village”. Researchers from ILLH KarRC RAS made over 20 presentations, including keynote lectures.
The conference has gathered 135 participants, and 68 presentations were delivered. The participant geography spans the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Region, cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tver, Syktyvkar, Estonia, Finland.
