Carleton University’s 16^th annual Heritage Conservation Symposium invites submissions from graduate students, community activists, professionals, and academics involved with heritage conservation and related fields on the topic of heritage and social justice.

Submission Deadline: March 4, 2024

The symposium will be held in person on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at the Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. It is organized by Associate Professor Jerzy (Jurek) Elżanowski and Associate Professor Susan Ross, as well as graduate students and alumni from the School of Canadian Studies and the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism. This year, they are partnering with Carleton’s Ottawa Research Collaborative.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Preservationists must also contextualize structures and sites within larger and sometimes difficult concerns—those that are critical to systematically addressing inequalities in the local community – Andrea Roberts, 2017

The goal of the 2024 Heritage Conservation Symposium is to share original research, case studies, performances, design projects, and other forms of creative production that examine the intersections of social justice and heritage studies.

Submitted works should explore how heritage can reconcile with challenging pasts of social injustice, cultural erasure, and discrimination, and how an intersectional approach to heritage can lead to more equitable, accessible, and reparative futures. 

The symposium seeks submissions from graduate students, community activists, professionals, and academics involved with heritage conservation and related fields. Organizers encourage interdisciplinary and community-engaged contributions that explore, but are not limited to, the following guiding questions: 

• What strategies can heritage professionals employ to forge meaningful collaborations with social justice and activist organizations, and what new interdisciplinary practices could emerge from such partnerships?

• How should heritage conservation adapt in response to global social justice challenges, such as climate change, urban development, and gentrification?

• How can heritage conservation serve as a tool for informing and educating broader publics about social justice issues, particularly in ways that encourage local stewardship, cultural expression, and the protection of community heritage and identities?

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a 300-word abstract in English or French, accompanied by a title and a 100-word biography to heritageconservationsymposium@cunet.carleton.ca by March 4, 2024. Include links to relevant supplementary media.