[Commlist] CFP “Memory and Emancipation” conference

      *«Memory and Emancipation»*

*First Conference of the Iberian Memory Studies Network*

*(RIEM, /Red Ibérica de Estudios de Memoria/)*

*Barcelona, 16–18 September 2026*

*Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Centre de Cultura Contemporània de 
Barcelona–CCCB*

_Confirmed Keynote Speakers:_

*Steven Forti* (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). Historian.

Specialist in the history of fascism, nationalism, and the far right.

*Paula Godinho* (FCSH-Universidade Nova de Lisboa). Anthropologist.

Author and coordinator of several works on social reproduction, 
resistance and social movements, political uses of memory, rituals and 
performance, and the anthropology of the future.

*Marta Marín-Dòmine.* Writer and independent researcher on issues 
related to memorial representations. She was Director of the Born Centre 
de Cultura i Memòria (Barcelona, 2021–23) and of the Center for Memory 
and Testimony Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo (Canada, 
2014–2020).

*Juan Gabriel Vásquez*. One of the leading Latin American novelists of 
his generation. His work explores the issues of memory, violence, and 
identity. His books have been translated into twenty-eight languages.

The Iberian Memory Studies Network (RIEM by its Spanish acronym) invites 
proposals for its inaugural conference, dedicated to exploring the 
tensions and dialogues between memory and emancipation as a means to 
rethink our past, present, and future. In today’s world, the concept of 
freedom has been appropriated by reactionary forces advocating for a 
negative and individualistic conception of liberty. In an era marked by 
multiple crises and democratic regression, ‘emancipation’ has once again 
become an urgent concept.

But what does it mean to emancipate oneself today? Who is seeking 
emancipation, and from what? What role does memory —both personal and 
collective— play in shaping this horizon? And what relationships and 
tensions arise between memory and the (re)imagination of the past within 
emancipatory processes? Emancipation implies transforming our 
relationship with the past and projecting new possibilities for the 
future. This conference analyses the link between memory and 
emancipation, conceived as a dynamic process that creates social 
structures capable of overcoming oppression.

Approaching memory critically not only illuminates historical forms of 
subordination, resistance, or liberation, but also opens up spaces to 
imagine alternative ways of living together. At the same time, 
imagination does not operate in a vacuum: it is nourished by memories, 
inherited experiences, silences, and fractures. The tensions between 
established memory frames —which shape and preserve— and imaginations 
—which displace, reinvent, and prefigure— can lead to new emancipatory 
processes. Drawing inspiration from recent debates, theoretical 
reflections, and artistic works, we aim to investigate how Memory 
Studies can illuminate the complexities and ambiguities of emancipatory 
experiences (real or metaphorical), challenge established discourses, 
and open up alternative ways of narrating the past and, consequently, 
imagining the future.

Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following questions:

●How can memories of crises, revolutions, transitions, violence, or 
resistance expand or reconfigure our notions of emancipation?

●What dynamics are activated when past emancipatory projects are 
remembered, re-examined, or reimagined differently?

●Which theoretical frameworks and new conceptualisations allow us to 
rethink the relationship between memory and emancipation?

●To what extent can certain forms of forgetting —strategic, affective, 
or institutional— hinder or foster emancipation?

●How do memory and (re)imagination interact in contexts marked by civil 
rights struggles, social justice, cultural preservation, or ecological 
survival?

●Can Memory Studies help us critically evaluate what we understand by 
freedom and which processes are truly emancipatory?

●How and in which cases must we emancipate ourselves from memory?

●Can we conceive of memory as a form of emancipation in itself?

●What role does the working-through of the past play in an emancipatory 
process?

We invite researchers and practitioners whose work relates to Memory 
Studies to contribute to this critical dialogue. The RIEM aims to 
promote interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse discussions 
regarding the changing relationship between memory and emancipation in 
contemporary societies.

We welcome *various types of contributions:* individual papers (15 
minutes), full panels (maximum of 3 speakers), and roundtables. Each 
session will last 75 minutes to ensure ample time for discussion with 
the audience. Brief audiovisual screenings, presentations, or artistic 
interventions that fit within the allotted time will also be considered.

**

*Proposals*

**

Proposals —comprising an abstract of 250–300 words and a 100-word 
biographical note— should be submitted via this form 
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hQtHWMxWHbv71UjAzZLckUB4mNdwuRXcdvh9iXQknlk/edit?ts=6985158f> by 
*25 April 2026*.

**

**

*Languages*

The RIEM is strongly committed to both transdisciplinarity and 
multilingualism. To facilitate academic exchange across the different 
regions of the Iberian Peninsula, this conference will accept proposals 
in* Basque, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish, as well as 
English*. The conference will include multilingual panels. The 
organising team is working on strategies to facilitate linguistic 
exchange and ensure that sessions are as inclusive as possible.

*About the RIEM*

The Iberian Memory Studies Network (RIEM) is a regional 
interdisciplinary forum dedicated to the study of memory in its social, 
cultural, historical, political, and psychological dimensions. The 
network provides a meeting space for those working in the field of 
memory in the Iberian Peninsula, aiming to foster the exchange of ideas 
and the development of collective projects. The adjective ‘Iberian’ does 
not refer to questions related to the history of the Peninsula, but 
rather indicates that the network is primarily composed of people 
working within the region. The RIEM does not intend to replace existing 
research groups, but rather to become the central forum for researchers 
from various disciplines with an interest in Memory Studies. As a 
‘Regional Group’ of the *Memory Studies Association (MSA)*, we aim to 
consolidate and expand the status of Memory Studies as a field of knowledge.

***

You can join the RIEM mailing list via this link 
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPv7SvYD-pheyZqtpyCEpLO0r7BXkdYoD8EbwGP-QuA-WR0A/viewform>. 
For enquiries about RIEM or the conference, please contact: 
*(riem.barcelona2026 /at/ gmail.com)* <mailto:(riem.barcelona2026 /at/ gmail.com)>. 
Please note that all conference proposals must be submitted via the 
official form.

**

*Organising Committee*

Stefano Bellin (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Miguel Cardina (Centro de Estudos Sociais - Universidade de Coimbra)//

Meritxell Joan Rodríguez (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Patricia Georgina Rico León (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

Johanna Vollmeyer (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

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