The Centre for Memory, Narrative and Histories at the University of Brighton, in cooperation with the Transitional Justice Institute/INCORE at Ulster University, is inviting paper proposals for the PGR/ECR conference on transgenerational memory. The conference will take place on 1st July 2021 online. We aim to gather postgraduate students as well as early career researchers from all disciplines for a day of critical debate and discussion on their research in the field.
In recent years, transgenerational memory has attracted increasing interest amongst scholars in a range of disciplines. Much of the initial work in the field focused on the personal, experiential memory of Holocaust survivors and the combatants and non-combatants of the ‘total’ wars of the twentieth century. Dwindling survivor generations, however, has prompted a scholarly interest in ‘post-memory’ (Hirsch 1992). Along these lines, some scholars have pointed to the importance of intergenerational familial transmission of memory particularly as “families are a crucial source of collective memory [...] creating powerful emotion-laden versions of the past from an early age” (Roper 2018).
Whilst these remain prevalent themes in the study of transgenerational memory, more recently research has also been conducted on a range of topics, from the complexities of intra- and inter-state conflicts in the latter twentieth and twenty-first centuries, to the continued legacies of colonialism and imperialism. We seek to expand this field, by exploring under-researched approaches and perspectives relating to the ways in which memories are shaped across generations. We also wish to engender interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to the subject. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to:
- The relationship between popular memory and transgenerational memory.
- The implications of transgenerational memory for practices of remembrance, commemoration and memorials.
- Transgenerational memory and trauma in post-conflict contexts.
- Transgenerational memory and oral history.
- The role of transgenerational memory in current memory activism.
- The relationship between transgenerational memory and truth-seeking and justice-seeking practices.
Abstract Submission
We welcome proposals of no more than 300 words for 20-minute papers, as well as posters with a 200-word description. Please also include a short bio in your application. Application is open to MA students, PhD students and early-career researchers, from all disciplines. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary, creative, international and intersectional research. We wish to provide a supportive and inclusive space to encourage fruitful debates and exchanges. Proposals for photo essays, short documentaries, short movies and other forms of presentation, with a 200-word description, will also be considered. Do get in touch if you have any ideas or questions you would like to discuss.
Please submit your abstracts by 30th May 2021 to TGMemory2021@gmail.com