27 May 2026
International Conference “Education after Totalitarianism”
The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, in collaboration with Vytautas Magnus University, the Faculty of Architecture at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, the Institute of Educational Sciences at Vilnius University, as well as the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Lithuania and the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, is organizing an international academic conference on October 1–2, 2026.
The conference “Education after Totalitarianism: Legacies and Transformations in Central and Eastern Europe” will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss the development of education systems after 1989–1991.
The event will seek to reveal how historical experiences of totalitarianism shaped education policy, institutions, and practices in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the challenges and changes the region faces today.
The conference will examine how education policy, curriculum content, and value foundations have changed in the region’s countries following the collapse of the Soviet and socialist systems. More than three decades later, not only general regional trends are evident, but also striking differences: some countries have achieved internationally recognized results, while others still face challenges posed by ongoing reforms and disputes over values.
The relevance of the conference is further underscored by the increasingly frequent public discourse in Lithuania regarding the state of the education system, the direction of reforms, and the response to global challenges. An understanding of these issues will be sought by comparing Lithuania’s experience with that of other Central and Eastern European countries with similar historical trajectories.
Researchers and education policy experts from Lithuania and abroad are invited to the conference. Proposals for the conference may be submitted by June 30, 2026, via email to
The conference language is English; the event will take place at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania in Vilnius.
The conference is part of the event series “A Year with Denmark: Bridges of Culture and Solidarity”, organized by the National Library of Lithuania in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Lithuania and the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The initiative is dedicated to marking the 35th anniversary of Denmark’s recognition of Lithuania’s restored independence. The series of events is supported by the Danish Ministry of Culture.
