Baltic Assembly Prize for Science to Eva-Clarita and Vello Pettai
On 6 October 2015 in Riga, the Joint Jury of the Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature, the Arts and Science awarded Eva-Clarita Pettai, Senior Researcher at the University of Tartu, and Vello Pettai, Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Tartu, with the Prize for Science for the book “Transitional and Retrospective Justice in the Baltic States”.
The monograph is cutting-edge in several aspects. First, it develops an innovative analytical model for studying the politics of the past in post-communist countries. Second, the book uses this framework to survey all three of the Baltic states in terms of the public debates and government policies that have sought to deal with truth and justice issues in these countries.
According to Dr. Eva-Clarita Pettai, senior researcher at the Institute of Government and Politics, the monograph addresses themes that are relevant for understanding the Baltic societies today: “How these states dealt with their Soviet past and established mechanisms of truth and justice after regaining independence tells us a lot about the strength and character of their democracies.”
The Prize for Literature was given to Māris Bērziņš from Latvia and the Prize for Arts to Modestas Pitrėnas from Lithuania. The winners receive a monetary award in amount of EUR 5000 per each, a certificate and a statuette, which are awarded on the ceremony during the Session of the Baltic Assembly on 19 November 2015 in Vilnius.
The Baltic Assembly Prize was established in 1993 with the aim to support outstanding achievements in literature, the arts and science and raise the level of literature, the arts and science in the Baltic States.
Further details are available on the Baltic Assembly website.
For more information, please contact Professor Vello Pettai, vello.pettai [ät] ut.ee, ph 737 5335.