17-18 September 2026, University of Helsinki, Finland<\/p>\n
In an era defined by overlapping social, political, and ecological crises, museums are faced with new dilemmas that call them to re-think their societal role and agency, both in the past and in the present. Therefore, tools for emotional sustainability are needed.<\/p>\n
This conference invites you to thought-provoking discussions and presentations on how museums can address affective polarization, strengthen individual and collective resilience, navigate the emotional labour of museum professionals, and to reflect on the broader societal impact of emotional sustainability. The invited keynote speakers for the conference will be professor Angela Failler and Marzia Varutti, PhD.<\/p>\n
The language of the conference is English.<\/p>\n
Important days:<\/strong><\/p>\n Call for papers:<\/strong><\/p>\n Societies today are confronted by many sociopolitical and ecological challenges ranging from climate change to intertwined forms of oppression and sociocultural upheaval. In such a time of polycrisis, museums are faced with new dilemmas that call them to re-think their societal role and agency, both in the past and in the present. \u00a0Therefore, tools for emotional sustainability are needed. Emotional sustainability is a dimension of social sustainability, and it refers to the capacity to maintain and support emotional well-being within social environments. It involves the ability to recognize and manage emotions to foster healthier, more resilient individuals and communities.<\/p>\n Museums of varied kinds can play a central role in emotional sustainability both on an individual, professional, and societal level. By engaging in public debates, museums and different associated actors, such as audiences, artists, and varied communities, can build collective spaces and affective affordances for emotional sustainability. Through their exhibitions and other activities museums seek to act as counter forces against affective polarization, thereby potentially supporting more resilient societies. On the other hand, historically they have and still can increase polarization and produce societal ill-being, especially for minorities.<\/p>\n Emotional sustainability is also connected to issues within the museum institutions, and to the museum professionals\u2019 capabilities for navigating the affective demands of their work and for employing emotional labour to cope with challenging situations. Museum professionals may experience ethical and affective strains when dealing with their institutions contested histories and emotional legacies, when caring for the collections is inadequate due to limited resources, or when their personal values conflict with the museum’s policies or realities.<\/p>\n Find the full call for papers here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 17-18 September 2026, University of Helsinki, Finland In an era defined by overlapping social, political, and ecological crises, museums are faced with new dilemmas that call them to re-think their societal role and agency, both in the past and in the present. Therefore, tools for emotional sustainability are needed. This conference invites you to thought-provoking … Forts\u00e4tt l\u00e4sa CFP: Museums and Emotional Sustainability in a Time of Polycrisis<\/span> \n
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