Memory: 1st Global Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference

Rob Fisher Announcement
Subject Fields
Human Rights, Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies, Psychology, Humanities, Public History

Memory
1st Global Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference

Saturday 23rd October - Sunday 24th October 2021

Our memories shape us: our beliefs, our actions, our selves. A memory that we share with others can be a call to action or a way of formulating our identities. But memories are fallible, and the more people who are involved in a memory, the more room there is for debate about its meaning.

The fallibility of memory is important in court cases, memoir-writing, and other situations involving testimony. And the extreme memory-loss caused by conditions such as Alzheimer’s robs people of an important aspect of their identity.

We remember episodes in our lives, and semantic knowledge such as ‘Paris is the capital of France’, but even when these recollections fade, we might still remember the procedural knowledge of how to tie a shoelace or play the flute.

We experience memory within our personal selves, but we also practise it in our cultures, through acts of remembrance. We build traditions around making sure that our communities do not forget important moments in our history: deaths of loved ones or of groups of people, the ends of wars, escapes from persecutions, births and/or deaths of important figures, moments of national independence. Accompanying these traditions are implicit expectations about how we should remember these events – expectations that are sources of controversy when the “correct” form of remembrance privileges one group’s memories at the expense of another, or is used to gate-keep the personal, emotional experiences of memory.

But it’s not easy to just throw out remembrance traditions. Without memory and remembrance, we cannot engage with the past or use its lessons to build a future – but without critically examining them, the past can become a weapon. Museums, memorials, and memoirs fight to develop ethical ways to remember, but projects of memory and remembrance can and must also take place outside of these institutions.

This interdisciplinary conference is a space to explore the intersection between personal, psychological experiences of memory, and the communal, cultural experiences of remembrance. How do we – both as people and groups – remember and forget? What happens when memory fails? What about when two different memories contradict each other? How can we preserve memories when there is no one left to remember them? And are some things best forgotten?

Key Topics
Key topics, themes and issues for discussion may include, but are definitely not limited to:

~ The psychology of memory
~ Memory loss, amnesia, Alzheimer’s
~ Retrieved and false memories
~ Memory and testimony
~ Memory and empathy
~ Trauma’s impact on memory or memory loss
~ Memoirs, writing or performing our memories, remembering ourselves
~ Importance of rituals of remembrance
~ Expressions of memory through creative practice
~ Technologies and memory
~ Memorials, statues, Denkmal
~ Culturally specific practices/rituals of remembrance
~ State-sponsored remembrance projects, national anniversaries, state-disseminated memorial media
~ Memory in museums and historic sites
~ Founding traumas
~ Role of education in ‘training’ cultural memory
~ Remembrance Day, Veteran’s Day, and other holidays of remembrance
~ Postmemory
~ Institutional memory
~ Selective memory (and the ideological/political implications thereof)

What To Send
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, storytelling, readings, performances, poster presentations, panels, Q&As, round-tables etc.

At the end of the conference we will be exploring ways in which we can develop the discussions and dialogues in new and sustainably inclusive interdisciplinary directions, including research, workshops, publications, public interest days, associations, developing courses, etc which will help us make sense of the topics discussed during the conference and ensure that our efforts are continued in our own communities.

300-word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 3rd September 2021. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chair.

All submissions will at a minimum be double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 10th September 2021.

If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 1st October 2021 at the latest.

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: Memory Submission

Where To Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:

Lorraine Rumson: lorraine@progressiveconnexions.net
Project Administrator: memory@progressiveconnexions.net

What’s so Special About a Progressive Connexions Event?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.

A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.

A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.

An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.

An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.

Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.

Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.

Please send all enquiries to the project email address: memory@progressiveconnexions.net

For further details and information please visit the conference web page: https://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/making-sense-of/memory/conferences/

Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions

Contact Information

Lorraine Rumson: lorraine@progressiveconnexions.net
Project Administrator: memory@progressiveconnexions.net

Contact Email
lorraine@progressiveconnexions.net