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“In the autumn of 2024, a small group of people who cherish the memory of Peeter Tulviste came together to discuss how to mark what would have been his 80th birthday. Many ideas were shared, and several of them will come to life this autumn – a conference and an exhibition will take place, the Ilmamaa publishing house will publish a collection of articles, an article series will appear in the journal Akadeemia, and a remembrance book by Tulviste’s contemporaries will also be released. All of this shows just how many fingerprints this man left all over Estonia. His life’s work deserves to be remembered, celebrated, and preserved.”

Rector of the University of Tartu Professor Toomas Asser

Events of the memorial week

From 27 October to 2 November, the 80th anniversary of the birth of Professor Peeter Tulviste is celebrated with a memorial week dedicated to him.

Legacy of Peeter Tulviste

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Peeter Tulviste was a brilliant lecturer and researcher, rector and politician, presidential candidate and member of the Riigikogu. His list of roles could go on, but for the University of Tartu and Estonia, his most significant legacy was that, as the first elected rector after the restoration of Estonia’s independence, he firmly set the university on a westward course. He challenged the prevailing academic mindsets and built an extensive network of international contacts, through which he helped place the University of Tartu – and Estonia – on the world map. In an interview at the end of his term as rector, Tulviste acknowledged that the university could turn its gaze westward and become European so quickly largely thanks to unpopular decisions. Although these were met with strong resistance within the university, progress would not have been possible without them.

During the Peeter Tulviste memorial week, two books dedicated to him will be presented: the Ilmamaa publishing house releases the collection of articles Mõtelda ning mõista in the series Eesti mõttelugu, and the Estonian Students’ Society publishes a remembrance book with the reflections on Peeter and his time by his contemporaries.

Peeter Tulviste in the video archive of the University of Tartu

Help us keep Professor Peeter Tulviste’s legacy alive

In the memory of Professor Peeter Tulviste, the University of Tartu, Tartu City Government, Tartu Rotary Club, the Union of Estonian Psychologists, and the University of Tartu Foundation established the Professor Peeter Tulviste Memorial Fund in 2017. Each year, the fund is used to recognise University of Tartu students and staff whose research has contributed to the understanding of the cultural nature of the human being.

We invite you to contribute to the memorial fund. To mark the 80th anniversary of the birth of Professor Peeter Tulviste, we aim to multiply the size of the fund to award a research prize of at least €7,000 (previously €5,000) and to create a new master’s thesis prize of €3,000. Every contribution is valuable and helps to achieve the fund’s goal of keeping Professor Tulviste’s legacy alive and inspiring a new generation of researchers.

Read more and donate