Transnational Networks Behind Folk Music Revivals: A Methodological Study of the Latvian Folklore Group Skandinieki
Transnational Networks Behind Folk Music Revivals: A Methodological Study of the Latvian Folklore Group Skandinieki

Summary/Abstract: This article takes the Latvian folklore group Skandinieki as a case study to assess the potential of a network approach for researching transnational flows within folk music revivals. Building on Skandinieki’s central role in the Latvian ethnomusic scene, the study explores the group’s ties to folklore movements abroad during the Soviet era, particularly in Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, and among exiled Latvians in the West. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining qualitative and quantitative inquiry, and using digital tools for data visualization and exploration. These transnational ties are contextualized within the broader political and pragmatic frameworks of the Cold War. Drawing on a print media dataset, the article maps cross-border connections and highlights the media’s role in shaping and promoting the revival movement. It also underscores the importance of source criticism when working with materials related to a totalitarian regime. While recognizing the Latvian folklore movement’s unique local character, the article expands the previous geopolitical framing of the movement and situates it within broader revivalist currents on both sides of the Iron Curtain. The study demonstrates the value of network analysis for tracing actual transnational routes and influences.

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