From June 10-12, 2026, the unforgettable XVI LOTMAN DAYS took place at Tallinn University (Estonia): “The End: Finality and Renewal in Culture”
Professor Tigran Simyan presented a report on the problem of death and the “end” of the “Daredevils of Sassoun” based on variants of the Armenian epic. Professor Simyan’s participation took place within the framework of the project “Daredevils of Sassoun in Art and Socio-political Discourse: Social Memory, Identity, Typology, and Multimodality” (No. 24SSAH-6B014), funded by the Science Committee of the Republic of Armenia. Renowned Armenian semiotician and linguist Suren Zolyan also spoke at the conference as part of the project “Cognitive, communicative, and semiotic mechanisms of the formation of historical memory and national Identity: a transdisciplinary analysis of the Armenian epic, historiography, urban space, and political discourse.” (No. 21AG-6C041). During the meetings, numerous reports were presented on the issue of death: from microsemantic analyses and ideological aspects to the semiotics of violence management, death, and related cultural phenomena.
Professor Tigran Simyan met the new participants of the conference and also met with the staff of the Yuri Lotman Semiotics Repository. Special thanks to the conference organizers – Merit Maran, Tatiana Kuzovkina, Ekaterina Yablokova, and Anna Simagina – as well as to all the other organizers and participants of this wonderful scientific event for their scientific and symbolic contributions.
During the conference, prospects for new projects within the Erasmus+ program were also discussed, including three-level collaboration among faculty members, PhD students, and undergraduates.
Professor Simyan also met with colleagues from the University of Tartu, including the Head of the Department of Semiotics, Tiit Remm, the Professor of Semiotics, Silvi Salupere, and Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman’s niece, Larisa Naidysh.
The conference was held in a friendly, warm, and welcoming atmosphere and was organized at a high level. On the first day, a wonderful banquet was held in the Tallinn Town Hall, with its Gothic vaults and Baroque-era wooden carvings.
We want to express our sincere gratitude to the organizers for the warm welcome, the high level of the conference, and the hope for further fruitful cooperation.
