Host

James Baxenfield is a historian, researcher, and chronicler of overlooked stories, fascinated by the lesser-known threads of Baltic history. He is a Junior Research Fellow and doctoral candidate at Tallinn University, where he is completing a PhD in History, focusing on the unrealized idea of a Latvian-Lithuanian state during the late nineteenth and twentieth century. He is also an avid Tennessee Titans fan.

Alongside his work on trans-Baltic history, James also researches the story of American football and the Baltic nations. After years digging into the complex and interrelated diplomatic and political histories of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, he’s turning his attention to the unlikely yet insightful connections between American football and the Baltic states. Combining scholarship with a storyteller’s curiosity, James traces the unexpected routes by which gridiron football traveled from US astroturf to Baltic soil, connecting the past and present.

James has been the recipient of a Baumanis Grant and a Dissertation Grant from the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS), and a former Herder Fellowship holder (Herder Institute in Marburg, Germany). Previously a guest editor for Acta Historica Tallinnensia, he is currently an Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Baltic Studies. He is a member of AABS, the North American Society for Sports History (NASSH), and the Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA).

Find out more about his research on American football and other topics on his website.