From 20 to 25 September 2026, the EASR (European Association for the Study of Religions) Congress “Religions 360°” was held in Bucharest, Romania, bringing together scholars of religion from 57 countries. The Latvian Association for the Study of Religions is a full member of the EASR and was represented at the congress by Daugavpils University Professor and Leading Researcher Anita Stašulāne, Dr Theol., who participated in the EASR Executive Board meeting.

Approximately 700 presentations were devoted to issues of methodology in the study of religion, current challenges in the field, the results of various national and international research programme projects, and presentations of collective monographs. Professor Anita Stašulāne presented a paper entitled “The Current Problems with the Legal Status of (Neo)Pagans in the Baltics,” in which she analysed current issues concerning the legal status of (neo)pagan groups in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The legal regulation of (neo)pagan groups poses a significant challenge to the legal systems of the Baltic states, as it raises several sensitive issues, including the legal recognition of marriages solemnised within (neo)pagan communities, the protection of spouses’ inheritance rights, and the possibility of learning about (neo)pagan beliefs in educational institutions. At the centre of these discussions is the question of whether (neo)pagan groups should be granted the status of religious organisations and whether they should be recognised as “traditional denominations” (Latvia), “traditional religious associations” (Lithuania), or as a “church,” “congregation,” “association of congregations,” or “monastery” (Estonia). The legal status of (neo)pagan groups in the Baltic states vividly reflects the dilemma between the principle of equality and entitlement to specific legal protections and privileges faced by constitutional democracies.

During the EASR Congress, Professor Anita Stašulāne chaired the session “Governing Orthodoxy in Times of War: Authority, Discourse, and State Power in the Baltic States” and also participated in the roundtable discussion “Buddhism in Europe,” where she spoke alongside other contributors to the forthcoming book Handbook of Buddhism in Europe. The discussion explored how European intellectual traditions, political structures, and cultural perceptions have influenced Buddhist teachings and practices; what processes underlie secular interpretations of Buddhism and the formation of identity within diasporic communities; and what the very concept of “European Buddhism” means.

A. Stašulāne participated in the congress within the DU research project “Inter-disciplinarity and Diversity in the Contemporary Research in Humanities II” (No. 14-95/2026/11).

Additional information:
IHSS acting director, professor and leading researcher Anita Stašulāne
e-pasts: anita.stasulane@du.lv