Looking back at the third RUTA Annual Conference 2026 (PHOTOS)

It’s hard to believe that it has already been almost two weeks since the RUTA Annual Conference 2026 came to a close.

As we look back through these photographs, we’re reminded that RUTA has always been about more than a conference. It is a space where scholars, artists, activists, and practitioners come together to question hegemonic ways of knowing, to learn from one another, and to build dialogues rooted in the lived realities of the communities and places we come from and study.

This year’s theme, Rooted Knowledges and Dialogues for Change, invited us to reflect on what becomes possible when knowledge is grounded in place, embodied experience, and relationships. Over four days, we explored these questions through panels, workshops, artistic interventions, and countless conversations that extended well beyond the conference rooms.

Two weeks later, we are still carrying these conversations with us. We hope these photographs capture not only some of the moments we shared, but also the spirit that shapes and drives the RUTA community.

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s conference so memorable.

We can’t wait to continue these conversations throughout the coming year.

The RUTA Conference 2026 was organized with the support of our partners: Uzhhorod National University and the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology and Cultural Studies; the International Renaissance Foundation; the Heinrich Böll Foundation Ukraine; Razom for Ukraine; Goethe-Institut Ukraine; the Ukrainian Studies Fund; Danyliw Foundation; Danyliw Research Seminar; and the University of Zurich.

Photos by Tetiana Kizenko.