November Research Spotlight Baiba Tjarve: Cultural Research Builds a Bridge Between Science and Society

Author
researchLatvia

November 19, 2025

science communication researcher social sciences

Cultural and art research is one of those scientific fields that provides an opportunity to see connections within society and to find answers to questions about human values, participation, and cultural processes. The study of this area reveals both the paths of past development and the perspectives for shaping the cultural environment in the future. Ph. D. Baiba Tjarve, leading researcher at the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC), has worked extensively on these issues. She is a recognized cultural researcher whose work is dedicated to understanding cultural and artistic processes and explaining their impact on society.

“Researching various cultural and artistic processes allows me to see the bigger picture—the structure in which these processes take place—while at the same time, in closer detail, to observe micro-events and their influence on social life,” says Ph.D. Baiba Tjarve, Deputy Head of the LAC Institute of Culture and Arts and developer of international research projects. She emphasizes that cultural research can create a link between science and society, offering a broader perspective on processes that affect each of us.

Zinatnes personibas 2025 1500 x 860 pX.png

 

The scientist is actively involved in national and international research projects, including European research cooperation networks and State Research Programs. B. Tjarve has participated in many applied studies in the cultural sector, gaining significant experience in issues of cultural consumption, cultural management, audience development, and participation. Her research helps strengthen the foundations of cultural policy-making in Latvia, as well as provides practical recommendations to municipalities and cultural institutions for the development of the cultural environment.

The work of Doctor of Arts Baiba Tjarve reminds us that the task of research is not only to find answers but also to ask questions that help society understand itself and move forward, making the humanities an integral part of contemporary research.

 

About the science calendar “Research Latvia 2025” 

This activity is implemented within the ERDF project No. 1.1.1.1/1/24/I/001 “More Effective and Smarter Implementation and Management of Latvia’s Science Policy” carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science. Developers: the creative team of “Entuziasti Digital” Ltd., including Mārtiņš Pavasaris, video director Kristaps Mozgirs, photographer Mārtiņš Goldbergs and the researchLatvia team. 

Since 2018, the science calendar “Research Latvia” and traveling exhibition have been created to promote the visibility of Latvian researchers’ achievements, to strengthen public understanding of the importance of science, and to inspire young people to pursue science. 

Recommended articles

science communication

LU leading researcher Tatjana Pladere receives the “Optica Ambassador” title

The leading researcher at the University of Latvia (UL), Tatjana Pladere, has received the “Optica Ambassador” recognition awarded by the international professional society Optica to outstanding young leaders in the field of optics and photonics. T. Pladere is the first representative from the Balt…

Labs of Latvia

February 27, 2026

science communication

Get involved – help shape research that matters to Latvian society

The Ministry of Education and Science, in cooperation with the Latvian Council of Science, invites you to participate in a survey to identify society’s views on issues and challenges that are important for Latvia and in whose resolution a significant role is also played by projects implemented unde…

Latvian Council of Science

February 25, 2026

science communication

High school students invited to apply for Job Shadow Day in Switzerland and shadow Latvian scientists at CERN

Five high school students who wish to build their future careers in particle physics and accelerator technologies will once again have the opportunity, during Job Shadow Day, to visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland and learn about the work of scientists from Ri…

Riga Technical University

February 25, 2026

science communication

Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry: Science for Wood Processing, Biomaterials and Sustainable Technologies

The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) is one of the leading research centers in the Baltic region dedicated to wood and other biomass studies. Founded in 1946, the Institute combines decades-long scientific traditions with a dynamic approach to the latest trends in wood chemistry, g…

Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry

February 23, 2026