Evelīna Kukarela, a master’s student at the University of Latvia (UL) Faculty of Economics and Management, has received the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) award for an outstanding undergraduate‑level research project in Baltic Studies. Under the academic supervision of Professor Vita Zelče, her bachelor’s thesis examined the construction of collective memory within the interplay of historical and cultural policy in the Cēsis municipality.
The AABS award for the best undergraduate research paper in Baltic Studies is granted once every two years for outstanding academic work in the field of Baltic Studies, evaluating originality, scholarly value, quality of writing, and the young researcher’s deep engagement with the respective research area.
“Monuments accompany people throughout their lives – from childhood to adulthood – as an integral part of the urban environment,” says Evelīna Kukarela. “These objects serve as enduring reminders of the past, especially during national holidays and commemorative days, when they and the surrounding space become central sites of remembrance and reflection. The significance of monuments is shaped not only by their function as physical media that transmit particular meanings across space and time, but also by the efforts of policymakers to define, legitimise, and maintain specific monuments as important elements of collective memory within society.”
The research employed three methodological approaches: visual discourse analysis based on the analytical steps of Ahenk Yilmaz’s The Art of Memory framework; a survey of individuals who grew up in the Cēsis municipality; and interviews with a local sculptor, representatives of organisations responsible for the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage sites, as well as local cultural policy makers. The findings of E. Kukarela’s research confirm that monuments continue to play a significant role in shaping collective memory. “Monuments function as instruments of communication through which political systems promote particular interpretations of history. Each category of monuments analysed fulfils a different role in shaping the region’s collective memory, reflecting shifts in understandings of the past and in practices of remembrance,” the young researcher explains.
The monuments dedicated to the War of Independence and the Battles of Cēsis were originally created to foster national sentiment within the local community. These monuments continue to serve this purpose today, although they now operate within the context of the current political system. In contrast, monuments erected during the Soviet period are primarily associated with traumatic historical experiences and are no longer integrated into contemporary structures of collective memory. Monuments built in independent Latvia fulfil an informative function.
In 2025, E. Kukarela earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication Science with a specialisation in advertising from the University of Latvia. Her academic interests include the study of collective memory, local identity, and regional narratives, with particular attention to their role in shaping public understanding in Latvia. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Communication Science at the UL Faculty of Economics and Management, deepening her expertise in her chosen research field and preparing for doctoral studies.
Evelīna is also involved in the Latvian Council of Science’s fundamental and applied research project “Re‑Narrating Riga’s Victory Square (ReVi)”. Within the project, she contributes to research analysing the transformation of Victory Square following the dismantling of the monument dedicated to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders.
