About

“Forschungen zur baltischen Geschichte” (Studies on Baltic History, FzbG) is an academic journal which offers fresh studies on the history of the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The journal has been edited since 2006 by Mati Laur (University of Tartu) and Karsten Brüggemann (Tallinn University), in close cooperation with the University of Latvia in Riga and the Baltische Historische Kommission. Since 2020 the journal has been published by the Brill-Schöningh publishing house.

FzbG receives financial support from academic institutions in Estonia, Latvia, and Germany. Especially in the early years since 2006, grants from the Estonian Research Council were crucial. The funding of the University of Latvia first and foremost is used for the translation and editing of articles written by Latvian scholars. From 2011–2019, the journal received regular support from the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (through the Nordost-Institut in Lüneburg). Additionally, the Baltische Historische Kommission supports the publication of the journal.

 

Focus and scope of the journal

 

FzbG is a peer-reviewed academic journal of the Estonian Historical Academic Society (Akadeemiline Ajalooselts). FzbG is an academic journal in the field of historical area studies that wants to encourage the scientifically-based exchange between the various national historiographies. Transgressing the small respective linguistic spheres of the nation states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the FzbG wants to contribute to the inner-Baltic professional discussion about the past. The regional focus of the journal lies in the historical Baltikum, the former Baltic provinces of the Russian Empire (Estland, Livland and Kurland, roughly the modern states of Estonia and Latvia), but contributions to Lithuanian history are also welcome because since the 20^th century Lithuania forms an integral part of “Baltic” history. The time frame of articles published in FzbG, however, ranges from prehistory to the post-Soviet period. Moreover, we encourage in particular contributions that deal with the transregional interconnections in the broader geographical area of North-Eastern Europe.

This journal publishes texts in German and English with summaries, respectively, in English and German. The majority of articles are published in German, in which we follow the historical tradition since a major part of the archival sources and the older historiography about the Baltikum is in German.

The main task of the editors and the international editorial board is the involvement of experts from neighbouring and other non-Baltic countries. This is especially true for the extensive section of reviews informing about the latest publications on Baltic history. So far the published volumes of FzbG demonstrate quite successfully that the history of the Baltic states today is an important aspect of the past of the Baltic Sea area and thus the whole of Europe including Russia. During the years of its existence, FzbG enjoyed the participation of authors from the three Baltic States, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Netherlands, UK, Italy, USA, Canada and the Russian Federation. In this understanding, the editors see themselves corresponding to a growing international resonance space.

 

 

Online access

 

Texts published in 2006–2019 are available online.

 

Publication Frequency

 

One issue per year (published on 1 December)