Dates: June 28-30, 2023
Formats: In-person and online
Abstracts: November 25, 2022Themes:  Art, Art & Architectural History, Sociology, Cultural Studies

The Czech Technical University

2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Heritage. It established culture as a concept to be safeguarded, as both material objects and social traditions. Today UNESCO seeks to celebrate and safeguard lifestyles, traditions and social groupings. However, the dynamics at play can be complex. Conserving architectural heritage can conflict with development models. Community traditions are threatened by globalization. Monuments are often focal points for cultural contestation. Archeological sites are valued in themselves and simultaneously erased by both the forces of conflict and ‘progress’. However, the past and the present also overlap and mutually support. Placemaking sees built and cultural heritage as key to urban practice. Community groups are documented in museums. Galleries present historical art while debating the role of the artist activist. Reflecting this scenario, this conference seeks papers on heritage from various standpoints: sociology, human geography, anthropology, art history, heritage studies, community architects and more.