Reelected as Norway repr. and Secretary of NASS at NASS general assembly

On the eve of the 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), held in Tallinn, Estonia in conjunction with the 15th Annual Lotman Days with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence” June 11-13th, the general assembly of NASS was held. I was reelected as Ordinary representative for Norway (which I have been since 2011), and as Secretary of NASS (which I have in this round been since 2023). Lauri Linask (Estonia) was reelected as President and Paulius Jevsejevas (Lithuania) reelected as Treasurer.

Session chaired, ecosemiotics presentation given at NASS XIV in Tallinn

Today I chaired the session «Complexity in Ecological Thought» at the 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days, “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“ (NASS XIV), which is currently being held at Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia (June 11–13, 2025). As part of the session, I presented my paper «Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability». About 25-30 people attended.

Ecological semiotics paper scheduled for presentation June 12th in Tallinn at NASS XIV

My paper «Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability» has been scheduled for presentation On Thursday June 13th at around 14.30-15.00, in the preliminary program of The 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days, “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“ (NASS XIV), which is to take place at Tallin University, Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13, 2025. My paper will be part of the session «Complexity in Ecological Thought» (involving four papers by skilled biosemioticians).

Abstracts reviewed for NASS XIV conference

I have recently peer-reviewed 17 abstracts as a member of the scientific committee of The 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days (NASS XIV), with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“, which is to be held in Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13.

Moreover, even more recently, I have taken part in assessing candidates for receiving NASS graduate student grants.

Ecosemiotics paper "Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability" accepted for presentation at NASS XIV

I have been informed by the organizers of the 14th Conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, organized jointly with the 15th Annual Lotman Days with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence”, which is to take place in Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13, 2025, that my paper "Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability" has been accepted for oral presentation.

PS: I am part of the scientific committee of the conference, but of course we don´t evaluate our own abstracts.

Keynote speech on Umwelt theory given at Tartu conference "Contemporary Umwelt Analysis: Applications for Culture and Ecological Relations"

Today I have given my keynote speech "A Comprehensive Framework for Studies of Changing Umwelten" at the conference Contemporary Umwelt Analysis: Applications for Culture and Ecological Relations, which has been held yesterday and today in Tartu, Estonia, at Estonian Naturalists´ Society, organized by the University of Tartu´s Department of semiotics. Some 30 people attended. The speech was also streamed live via Zoom.

To be keynote speaker at Tartu conference on Umwelt analysis

I will be a keynote speaker at the conference “Contemporary Umwelt Analysis: Applications for Culture and Ecological Relations”, which will be held in Tartu, Estonia, 18th-19th of April, 2023, at the University of Tartu, Estonia, along with Kalevi Kull (University of Tartu) and Carsten Herrmann-Pillath (University of Erfurt, Germany). 

Abstracts are due January 31st 2023. For more info, see the conference webpage.

To be plenary speaker at Tartu Summer School of Semiotics 2021

I have agreed to be a plenary speaker at Tartu Summer School of Semiotics 2021, which will be held in Sammuli, Estonia, on August 13-16th. The topic for the summer school is "Semiotic horizons: Time, memory and future".

Evaluation of Baltic-Norwegian research application

Our Baltic-Norwegian application received a positive evaluation, scoring 13,5 out of 15 possible points, I have been informed. However, to get funded, it would need 14,5 points or more, as only 7 of 130 applications were funded.

To be plenary speaker at hybrid natures conference in Tartu

I have agreed to be a plenary speaker at the conference “Semiotics of hybrid natures: anthropogenic ecosystems, multimodalities, transformed Umwelten”, to be held in Tartu, Estonia, November 8-10th 2018.

Final conference of Estonian-Norwegian research programme attended in Harju, Estonia

Today and yesterday I have attended the final, concluding conference of the Estonian-Norwegian research programme. Representatives of some 13 bilateral research projects have been present, including Timo Maran and myself from ours, "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis". The conference was held on Laulasmaa Spa Hotel in Harju quite close to Tallinn.

Final Estonian-Norwegian Research cooperation conference

My registration for the concluding conference of the Norwegian-Estonian Research Cooperation has been confirmed. The conference will occur at September 21-22nd at Laulasmaa Spa and Conference Hotel.

Estonian guests; 4th EMP151 research seminar

Yesterday five Estonian researchers arrived for the 4th and final Norwegian research seminar of the Estonian-Norwegian research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis", which takes place today and tomorrow at University of Stavanger.

"Mapping human impact" chapter freely available online

My 2011 book chapter "Mapping Human Impact – Expanding Horizons: Interdisciplinary Integration" is freely available online (PDF format) via Oapen.org, as part of the book The Space of Culture - the Place of Nature in Estonia and Beyond (Approaches to Cultural Theory vol. 1, Tartu University Press). My article is on pp. 93-106.

NASS General Assembly scheduled for August 19th

This year´s General Assembly of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS) - the first since 2013 - has been scheduled for Wednesday August 19th at 18.30 (during NASS IX, Tartu - Estonia - cf. preliminary program).

Still possible to submit to NASS IX

The 9th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, to take place in Tartu August 17-20, is still accepting abstracts (even though the deadline has formally expired). 

This implies that abstracts are still welcome to the two sessions I take part in chairing:

 - Cognitive semiotics meets biosemiotics / Biosemiotics meets cognitive semiotics

 - The study of future umwelten: umwelt futurology

For instruction on abstract submission, see the conference webpage.

Application deadline December 15th: 3-day graduate school "Animals in transdisciplinary environmental history"

Animals in transdisciplinary environmental history

Graduate School in Environmental History

Läänemaa, Estonia, May 13-15, 2015

KAJAK, the Estonian Centre for Environmental History at Tallinn University Institute of History, in cooperation with the University of Tartu and Rachel Carson Center for Environment & Society (LMU Munich) and with the support of European Society for Environmental History are pleased to announce a three-day graduate seminar in environmental history hosted in the Estonian countryside.

The seminar will explore animals as historical agents and as a lens through which to understand past environmental transformations. A workshop on popular science writing will also take place and the summer school will end with an open roundtable on animals assisting humans. The graduate seminar aims to gather 15 graduate (and post-doctoral) students together with junior and senior scholars.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 December 2014.

Detailed information on the program and how to apply may be found in the full call for applications.

October 2011: Table at restaurant Volga reserved for PhD defence dinner

Around the end of October 2011 I reserved a table for 5-10 persons at restaurant Volga in Tartu, Estonia, at the occasion of my PhD defence (see thesis introduction) December 15th the same year. This is were I was to (and indeed did) celebrate my PhD, with the family members accompanying me, my supervisor Kalevi Kull and my opponents Jesper Hoffmeyer and Dominique Lestél.

[This blog post is part of my backlog catch-up]

Webpage of Estonian project partner launched; Estonian title

A few weeks ago the Norwegian research group of the Norwegian-Estonian research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis" launched a webpage, first in English, then in Norwegian. Now the Estonian research group's webpage has been launched too: See its English version and its Estonian version, both sorting under University of Tartu's Department of semiotics.

The Estonian language title of the project is "Loomad muutuvates keskkondades: Kultuuriline vahendatus ja semiootiline analüüs".

Collaboration with Ilmar Rootsi concluded

My collaboration with Estonian Ilmar Rootsi (which has been assisted by Nelly Mäekivi) has come to an end, since it today emerged we have a fundamental disagreement about a key source for our planned but now cancelled article on people killed by wolves historically in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia.

This means we will not co-write any article. However, I have offered assistance in making sure a translation is good quality if he wants to present more of his own work in English.