Prague – Heritages
Past and Present - Built and Social

A Conference on Culture, History, Art and Design
Event Date: June 28-30, 2023
Abstract Date: April 15, 2023
June 2023
Intangible heritage, art and architectural history, communities, design and cultural traditions

Call

2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Heritage. It established culture as a concept to be safeguarded. That event came three decades after the World Heritage Convention. Through that, UNESCO had set up its World Heritage List of protected sites and buildings. The intervening years have seen multiple shifts in how we define heritage – as both material objects and social traditions. Today more than ever before, the distinction is blurred. The streets on which we live, and the monuments we protect are all connected to the traditions and social groupings we celebrate and preserve – whether physically, socially or, increasingly, digitally.

What we mean by heritage today then, is an open and diverse question. Our buildings and environments, our cities and neighborhoods, our memorials and our artworks, our cultures and communities are all component parts of what we understand as ‘preservable’ history. The dynamics at play are, however, complex. Conserving architectural heritage can conflict with development models. Community traditions are threatened by globalization. Monuments are often focal points for cultural contestation. Archaeological sites are valued in themselves and simultaneously erased by both the forces of conflict and ‘progress’. Digital models and modes of experience both attract a new audience and can alienate an older one.

However, the past and the present also overlap and mutually support. Placemaking sees built and cultural heritage as key to urban practice. Contextualization is central to planning laws. Museums are sites for communities and display. Digital modelling can be the only way to fully experience an ancient object or archeological site. Galleries present historical art while debating meanings in contemporary terms.

Reflecting this scenario, this conference seeks papers on heritage from various standpoints: art and architecture historians concerned with preservation; architects and urban planners engaged with placemaking; cultural theorists and social historians documenting objects, places, people and events; artists working with technologies, communities and place. It welcomes case studies that are specific and place-based. It embraces theoretical frameworks that function globally. It is interested in variegated methods of research and analysis.

Although the event is international in its reach, it is also interested in the specifics of the Czech Republic. It stems from the Prague-based project Then, Now and Always and uses its themes of museums and communities as a key strand. Other strands and themes are listed below and aim to bring in contributions from multiple fields.

Image: Denis-Poltoradnev

Disciplines

  • Architectural History
  • Design
  • Architecture
  • Art History
  • Conservation
  • Heritage Studies
  • Urban Design
  • Interior Design
  • Landscape
  • Social History
  • Community Studies
  • Visual Culture
  • Fine Art
  • Humanities
  • Sociology
  • Human Geography
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Teaching & Learning
  • Education
  • Cultural Studies

Key Dates

Abstracts (Round 2)
15 April 2023
Feedback
01 May 2023
Conference
28-30 June 2023
Full Paper Submissions
30 August 2023
Full Paper Resubmissions
30 January 2024
Publications
30 March 2024

Themes

Digital Heritage
Platforms, Medias and Apps in the heritage sector
History, Conservation and the Future
Protecting buildings, monuments, art, traditions & cultures
Design, Planning, Art and Context
Placemaking, architecture, urban design, landscapes and art
Community, Heritage and Identity
Intangible cultural heritage and the forces of globalization
Museums and Places of Memory
Cultural Institutions as sites of preservation and display
Local Histories – Regional Cultures
Storytelling locally, regionally and globally
Archives, Archaeology and Education
Methods of research, analysis and protection

Formats

In-person: Delegates can visit Prague and present live at the conference venue.

Zoom: We welcome live presentations via Zoom.

Pre-recorded:  Pre-recorded presentations or films will be available permanently on the AMPS Academic YouTube channel.

Lightning Talks: For delegates wishing to offer shorter presentations of their work. Subject to the level of interest.

@Prague: For delegates visiting Prague but presenting virtually on Zoom.

Written papers: In all cases, delegates can present full written papers for inclusion in all associated conference publications.

 

In-person (20 mins)
Zoom (20 mins)
Pre-recorded video (20 mins)
Lightning talk (5 mins)
@Prague (20 mins)
Written papers (3000 words)

 

Publications

The publishers that AMPS works with include UCL Press, Routledge Taylor & Francis, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Vernon Press, Libri Publishing and Intellect Books.

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Conference outputs include the AMPS Proceedings Series, ISSN 2398-9467; Special Issue Publication of the academic journal Architecture_MPS ISSN 2020-9006; Books from this event will be developed by Intellect Books and/or Cambridge Scholars Publishing, with short films available on the AMPS Academic YouTube Channel.

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Written papers are optional.  If submitted they should be 3,000 word length. Formatting instructions to follow after the conference. All papers are double-blind peer reviewed for the AMPS Conference Proceedings Series. Subject to review, selected authors will be invited to develop longer versions as articles in the academic journal Architecture_MPS or in a specially produced conference book.

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Submissions & Registration:

Registration Delegate Fee: $390 USD  |  Audience Fee: $190 USD                                                                                                        Queries: team@amps-research.com