CBOW early stage researcher presents his first findings at Daugavpils XXVI international scientific

Oskars Gruziņš member of the European Union’s Marie Curie Initial Training Network, “Children born of war – past, present and future project,” from University of Latvia, presented the first results of his study at the Daugavpils XXVI international scientific reading in Latvia.

On January the 28th and 29th, Oskars Gruziņš participated at the international conference and presented his study “Children Born of War, Existing Studies: Methods, Data and Theories” as a part of the working group “History: Sources and People.” Oskars study looks at some of the existing source on children born of war, their theories, methods and data, and how these aspects could be applied to a study in Latvia. A discussion arose among the participants on how children born of war could be found and approached in Latvia. The use of existing organizations such as Children Of Siberia was singled out as a potential approach, as well as, the use of interviews of witnesses and community leaders in order to promote a snowball effect. Additionally a chance meeting with Ms. Inese Auziņa-Smita, who studies the archives of Latvians abroad, brings the possibility of Oskars’ project looking into the children born of war who went into exile with their mothers after the war.

Oskars study will tie into his Ph.D. project on children born of Nazi and Soviet soldiers in Latvia. The project is part of the European Union Marie Curie Initial Training Network, “Children born of war – past, present and future project.” This project is a Horizon 2020 plan which is composed of 15 early stage researchers, 11 organizations, 12 partner organizations, with an aim at “understanding the challenges of CBOW in volatile societies [that] will inform the normative debates and, ultimately, policies on the reintegration of CBOW into post-conflict societies.”