Baltic region as a place of contacts: introducing a special issue

ENFor many centuries, the lands near the Baltic Sea have been a place of intensive contact between various groups of people, each with their unique social compositions, lifestyles, cultural traditions, and linguistic practices. From the Hanseatic League to European integration, trade, migration, and cultural exchange have shaped the region’s identity by bringing together individuals from very diverse backgrounds and facilitating communication among them. The thematicv issue titled “Baltic Region as a Place of Contacts” aims to explore the rich history, cultural dynamics, and socioeconomic interactions within the Baltic region. It seeks to shed light on the multifaceted nature of the Baltic countries and their role as a vibrant meeting point for diverse communities, ideas, and influences. By combining diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches, by examining historical, cultural, linguistic, and socio-political dimensions, this collection of articles will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the Baltic region as a place for contacts, exchanges, and cross-cultural fertilization. One may ask whether the Baltic region really exists or whether it is just a colonial notion introduced by Baltic German (das Baltikum) that corresponds to the so-called Baltic Sea provinces (die Ostseeprovinzen) and that gradually has become an umbrella term covering the modern Baltic states. To an extent, any notion like “Baltic region,” “Eastern Europe,” “Nordic countries,” and so on is based on outsiders’ projection, be it colonizing powers or neighbors. As an opposite, a stereotype exists that all Baltic countries are more or less the same. [Extract, p. 103].