What role do anniversaries play in public history? How do we negotiate the commemoration of complex pasts?
In the IHR’s centenary year, an online international conference hosted in partnership between the Institute of Historical Research and the Centre for Public History, Queen’s University Belfast will explore the uses of anniversaries in historical research and public interpretation, the politics of commemoration, the wide variety of tools and approaches for public engagement, and the challenges of dealing with contested pasts.
From Magna Carta to Fukushima
On 21-22 October, 2021, speakers from academia and beyond will examine a wide range of case studies, from Magna Carta to WW1, with special sessions on ‘Nuclear Memory’ (from Hiroshima to Fukushima), ‘Remembering Partitions’ in Ireland, India and beyond, and a workshop on ‘Remembering Trauma’, using oral histories of Irish Mother and Baby homes as a case study.
Multimedia / Asynchronous Content
The conference will include a range of multimedia content which can be viewed when you choose, from short films of locations in Belfast linked with themes of memory and commemoration, to a virtual tour of the Ulster Museum Troubles Gallery, and a link to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial 3D walk-through.
A full programme is available here.
Early-career Lightning Talks and Prizes
The conference will conclude with 5-minute Lightning Talks on ‘Memory and Commemoration’ – broadly defined – from early-career researchers in history and related disciplines. Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations: £200 for the winner, plus three runner-up prizes of £100 each.
Places in this session are limited: please submit a working title and 150-word proposal to IHR.Events@sas.ac.uk by 31 August 2021, for consideration. Your proposal should include a declaration that you consider yourself to be an early-career researcher.
Booking
Book your free place now by following this link to the conference information page.