[ecrea] International Conference: Museums and Communities. The Heritage of Belonging

*Call for Papers*

*International Conference: /Museums and Communities. The Heritage of 
Belonging/*

**Date: 8 - 10 November 2012
Location: NAi Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Organisation: Erasmus University Rotterdam - Erasmus School of History, 
Culture and Communication

We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the upcoming 
conference on "Museums and Communities. The Heritage of Belonging". This 
conference focuses on the relation between museums, heritage and 
communities. In times of mobility and change, history museums play an 
important role in societal questions of social cohesion, identity and 
belonging. In search of their roots, people turn to heritage. History is 
popular as never before and it surfaces in all contemporary media. At 
the same time, the communication era offers new possibilities for 
communities based on common interests and preferences, or popular and 
corporate culture. Museums in general, as part of the public sphere, are 
an important tool in this dynamic process of heritage formation and the 
performance of community.

To address these topics, the Erasmus University Rotterdam organises an 
international three-day conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We 
would welcome presentations on community building, performativity and 
the dynamics of cultural heritage, as well as presentations on new 
practices of engaging communities in museums and representing 
communities in exhibition display. We are honoured to announce two 
keynote speakers. Richard Sandell of Leicester University will discuss 
the relation between museums and human rights. Kevin Moore -- director 
at National Football Museum in Manchester -- will be talking about the 
museum and popular culture.

Prof. dr. Marlite Halbertsma, Prof. dr. Paul van de Laar, Dr. Stijn 
Reijnders, Dr. Hélène Verreyke, Dorus Hoebink MA.

This conference concludes the Community Museums Past and Present 
project, which is part of the NWO programme Cultural Dynamics 
(http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOA_6J8FRJ_Eng). The Community 
Museums Past and Present project is financed by the VSB foundation.

*Submission proposals*
Please send your proposal to: (verreyke /at/ eshcc.eur.nl) 
<mailto:(verreyke /at/ eshcc.eur.nl)>
Deadline 15 February 2012
300 words (max.) abstract.
100 words bio (affiliation, line of research).
All abstracts and presentations must be in English.

*Subjects may include, but are not limited to:*
/Theory///
Community building
Museums and performativity
Museums and identity
Heritage ownership
Popular culture, fan communities and their heritage
Corporate heritage

/Practice///
Engaging communities
Outreach programmes
Heritage projects
Crowdsourcing
Social media / New media
Exhibition design

Museums and Community is a three-day conference with two days of keynote 
sessions in the morning and thematic sessions in the afternoon. The 
conference will take place at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in 
the Museum Park in the centre of Rotterdam.