Topic: research

A recently completed study on conspiracy theories, the most extensive one ever conducted in Europe, found that narratives circulating across national borders adapt to local history, cultural memory and social tensions. A book presenting the study’s findings has now been published, co-edited by Mari-Liis Madisson, Associate Professor of Semiotics at the University of Tartu.

On 5 October at 14:15 Eleni Alexandri will defend her doctoral thesis “The Phenomenon of K-Pop: A Place of Reality and Fiction” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).

The Estonian Research Council (ETAG) invites students to participate in the 2026 National Contest for University Students. The last day for submissions is 15 September. This year, the total prize fund exceeds €200,000.

From 20 to 23 August 2026, the University of Tartu hosted the 62nd Annual Conference of Societas Ethica, the European Society for Research in Ethics, under the title “Crisis & Recovery – Ethics in Interdisciplinary Dialogue”.

Edited by Uku Tooming, the new issue of Studia Philosophica Estonica brings together philosophers working on imagination and value cognition, exploring how imagination shapes our evaluative judgments and how, in turn, our values shape what and how we imagine.

On 18 August at 14:15 Hongjin Song will defend his doctoral thesis “Semiotic Anatomy of Rumour: Social Discourse, 'False Memory', and Infection” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).

On 18 August at 11:15 James Augustus Bacigalupi IV will defend his doctoral thesis “A Biosemiotic Theory of Semiogenesis: Building a Testable Hypothesis for Normative Self-regulation” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).