Over the last century, Estonians have been forced to migrate or have willingly migrated around the globe, creating diaspora communities in their new country of residence. During the Soviet occupation, many of these diaspora communities were disconnected from their homeland and relatives. Now, 30 years into Estonia’s second independence, there is an opportunity to re-connect with these communities and seek synergies for future collaboration and development.
However, Estonian diaspora groups are dispersed worldwide. It is difficult to understand how many Estonians live abroad, their needs, and how these communities can be better connected with the Estonian government. To this end, the Institute of Baltic Studies (IBS) has conducted a comprehensive, international survey targeting Estonian diaspora members from around the world. See the full report also here.
Fortuitously, the research team had two staff members working remotely in Chicago, Illinois, between June and August of 2021. As there is an active Estonian diaspora community in the Chicago area, IBS decided to organise focus groups and interviews with members of the Estonian diaspora in Chicago to support the survey results. Additionally, it offered an opportunity for IBS to delve deeper into the needs and challenges facing the diaspora community as they exist in the Chicago area, giving further qualitative insight to support the study. To this end, this report discusses the history of the Estonian diaspora in the Chicago area, the methodology for conducting the case study, key observations made based on the feedback from Estonian diaspora members, and recommendations for the Estonian government based on these observations.