On October 17-18, 2025, at the Vilnius Branch of the University of Bialystok, the 2^nd international scientific conference “Weaving Culture: Cultural Narratives in Central and Eastern European Countries” took place. The conference was devoted to various cultural manifestations and facilitated the exchange of experiences and opinions between representatives of the humanities and social sciences.

The researchers of the Horizon Europe project “Cultural Literacies’ Value in Europe” (CLiViE) shared the results of their case studies.  Associate Professor and Leading Researcher of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences Alīna Romanovska in the conference section “Narratives on culture and their representations in art” gave a presentation “Understanding the Other through Art: A Case Study from a Latvian Border City”. Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Irina Presņakova presented the paper “Advancing Social Cohesion Through Cultural Literacy: Sport-Based Case Study” in the section “Erased Communities and Pasts”. Assistant Professor and Researcher of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences Maija Grizāne delivered the speech ““You Don’t Have to Be Born in Poland to Be a Pole”: Latvian Polish Heritage as a Tool for Developing Cultural Literacy” in the section “Cultural Practices – Cultural Competencies”.

The researchers’ presentations attracted significant interest and stimulated extensive discussions on the importance of arts-based education in contemporary society. During the conference, professional contacts were established with scholars analysing the impact of arts-based education on social cohesion. These new connections are particularly valuable for future collaboration, as conference participants expressed interest in data-driven research results that the CLiViE project can provide. This collaboration creates a foundation for the development of joint studies, data exchange, and the formulation of evidence-based recommendations in the field of arts-based education and the strengthening of social cohesion within the European context.

Further information:
Project team lead at Daugavpils University:
Associate Professor and Lead Researcher Alīna Romanovska
alina.romanovska@du.lv

The project has received funding from the European Union’s “Horizon Europe” Research and Innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 101132285.