About
I am Christine Beresniova, the founder of this site.
Presently, I am pursuing my PhD in Educational Policy Studies and Anthropology at Indiana University in Bloomington. I have been studying reform policies in the Baltics for many years, especially reforms related to tolerance education and national identity. I recently concluded a year-long study with UNESCO on attitudes towards diversity in the Baltic States, Finland, and the US, as well as a year-long term as the President of the Baltic and Finnish Studies Association [BaFSA] at Indiana University. Just a few weeks ago, I also found out that I was the recipient of a Fulbright grant to conduct research in Lithuania for nine months during AY 2011-2012.
My interest in the post-Soviet Baltic states started at Sarah Lawrence College when I took several advanced seminars on WWII and Eastern Europe. To expand on this learning, I spent my senior year abroad in Berlin and Geneva. These cities served as launching pads for me to visit other parts of Western and Eastern Europe, and from there Eastern Europe became the heart of my academic passion. From there, I received a Master’s Degree in International Education from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, and then moved on to Indiana University for my doctoral studies.
My research approach is interdisciplinary and uses theories and methods from educational policy studies, cultural anthropology, and history. I believe that in order to really understand the role of education policy in any country, one must conduct a comprehensive assessment of social behaviors, personal perspectives, historical context, and actual practice. These can be important indicators of which programs and policies are most influential and which remain little more than political semantics. Understanding this difference is especially important to my research on tolerance, multiculturalism, and diversity.
Having spent a decade researching the Baltic States, I am both personally and professionally committed to scholarship that contributes to discussions about furthering tolerance, democracy, and pluralism there. Some scholars and practitioners have told me that my research is “too ambitious” and that it will take “generations” for Baltic societies to achieve meaningful reforms. As a scholar, I feel that this is an easy way out. If something seems impossible to understand then I believe that we, as scholars, have not done our best to understand it. It is with this belief that I pursue my scholastic journey in the Baltics.
You can contact me at Christine@BalticScholar.com